This medical instrument was not only functional, but beautiful in appearance and in excellent condition.  The name “S. CRUST” (photo #4) is inscribed on the brass edge of the horn case into which the 3 puncturing / cutting blades (marked “CAST STEEL”) are enclosed. Each blade measures about 3 inches in length and has a raised cutting point near the end.

The medical treatment known as blood-letting has existed for thousands of years. Practitioners believed that the balance of impure fluids contained in the blood could be removed by cutting an artery or vein of a sick person with a fleam (a type of lancet) and draining a certain amount of blood, which was calculated in relation to the nature of the ailment.

The unusual feature of this fleam is the name S. CRUST. Although we have not been able to obtain any information on that name, it is possibly not the maker as the maker is usually marked on the blade. 

A bloodletting medical instrument was in the bag of almost every physician since bloodletting was a common treatment for almost every ailment in the 18th and 19th centuries. NO RESERVE!