Phlebotomy (modern)
From Freepedia
The phrase phlebotomy is used for different purpose today than it was in medieval times. In most cases, phlebotomy now refers to the removal of small quantities of blood for the purpose of performing blood tests. There are a few situations where removing large quantities of blood is still theraputically useful; for more details see Bloodletting. However, the remainder of this article focuses on the modern use of the term.
In the past it has been the job of the doctor to withdraw blood from the patient for the purpose of performing blood tests, but the new position of the phlebotomist has been introduced to reduce the work load on doctors. Phlebotomists can be found in almost any hospital or clinics. They are individuals who have been specially trained to carry out venipuncture (puncturing of the vein) and withdraw blood for use in blood test or blood transfusions.
