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Category: Bleeding and Cupping
Estimated Date: 1850
Name: Seton Needles
Manufacturer: Read

Description: 3 1/2” x 3/4” x 5/8” black leatherette box contains two seton blades marked Read. They are similar in shape and structure to the device by Maddox but are large being 3 1/4” long. The Maddox example has the protective tortoise shell covers. Some of these were actually needles, although the current example more closely resembles a lancet except for the hole at top. A silk thread or some other type of bristle was attached to the hole and it was drawn through the skin and left in place to cause irritation. The theory was that this would help the body heal by providing a simulant to distract it from the underlying disease.