I’m truly at a point where I love doing this blog more than I ever have. No longer a lone voice that’s hit & miss, I have a group of wonderful collaborators who somehow manage to put up with me—perhaps, because I truly strive to promote the fruits of their collaborative efforts as best as I can, and without the over-the-top marketing hype that’s become so common everywhere.

Here’s the entire bank of my knowledge on bloodletting, up until a couple of months ago: primitive, superstitious practice that killed George Washington, the first president of these united states (may not even be true). I always love being wrong because then, minimally, I’m less wrong than before.

I love slaying dragons or, in this context, questioning icons, bromides, and slogans of “truth.”

I once again give you The Duck Dodgers.

In our previous article, Iron, Food Enrichment and The Theory of Everything, we hypothesized the link between the rise in modern chronic disease and the rise in iron intakes during the 20th century, through both food fortification and increased meat consumption.

Careful readers are well aware that chronic diseases of civilization began to rise well before iron fortification entered the food supply. When we investigated this further, we found to our surprise that our not so distant ancestors were bloodletting far, far more than we ever imagined.

From the time of antiquity to the late 19th century—for at least 2,000 years—bloodletting was extremely common. In fact, it became so common during the 19th century that its abuse ultimately led to its downfall—along with it being discredited by prominent physicians.