was prevented only
by Washington's request to be allowed to die without further medical
intervention, since he believed that his illness was incurable.[63]

Bloodletting was especially resorted to in times of crisis. One woman,
Hannah Green, had been anesthetized in 1848 by chloroform before
undergoing a minor operation on her toe. The physician bled her in a
futile attempt to revive her, but she died, becoming the first known
victim of inhalation anesthesia.[64]

_Spring Lancets_

The great vogue in phlebotomy inspired the invention of ingenious
instruments. From Vienna came the automatic or spring lancet, originally
called a _Schnepper_ or _Schnepperlein_, which permitted the operator to
inject the blade into a vein without exerting manual pressure.[65] It was
widely adopted if the variety of models now extant is a proper indication.
In the spring lancet, the blade was fixed into a small metal case with a
screw and arranged to respond to a spring that could be released by a
button or lever on the outside of the case. The blade was positioned at
right angles to the spring and case, thus adopting the basic shape of the
fleam. The case of the spring lancet was usually made of copper, silver,
brass, or an alloy. It was often decorated with engraved furbelows or
embossed with political or other symbols depending on the preference of
the owner and the fashion of the period. The mechanism of this handsome
implement has been described by a modern collector (Figures 6, 7):

The curved projection (1) is the continuation of a heavy coiled
spring. When pushed up it catches on a ratchet. A razor sharp blade
(2), responding to the pressure of a light spring placed under it,
follows the handle as it goes up. A lever (3) acting on a fulcrum (4)
when pressed down, releases handle which in turn strikes the lancet
down with lightning speed.[66]

The spring lancet was initially described by Lorenz Heister in 1719.[67]
Another early description appeared in 1798 in the first American edition
of the _Encyclopedia or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences_, in which the
spring lancet was called a "phleam."[68]

The spring lancet for use on humans was a rather tiny instrument. Its
casing was about 4 cm long and 1.5 to 2 cm wide. The blade added
another centimeter in length. Larger size instruments, often with a metal
guard over the blade, were made for use on animals. Eighteenth- and early
nineteenth-century sp