When Mennonite settlers moved from Prussia to South Russia (present-day Ukraine) beginning in the late 1700s, they carried with them not only their language, faith, and agricultural expertise but also the medical knowledge and folk practices common in Central and Western Europe at the time. Among these practices was bloodletting, a treatment that had been used for centuries across Europe and was still widely accepted in the early 19th century. Although Mennonites were known for their practical skills and resourcefulness, they were also products of their era, and their approach to health reflected the medical theories available to them.
Bloodletting was rooted in the ancient medical theory of humoral balance, which held that the body contained four fluids – blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile – and that illness resulted from an imbalance among them. Removing blood was believed to restore equilibrium, reduce inflammation, and relieve a wide range of symptoms. By the early 1800s, European physicians and lay healers alike still used bloodletting to treat fevers, infections, headaches, and even emotional disturbances. Although modern medicine has long since disproven the humoral system, at the time it provided a coherent and widely accepted explanation for disease.
The bloodletting procedure itself could be performed in several ways. Venesection, or opening a vein with a small blade, was the most direct method and allowed the healer to remove a controlled amount of blood. Cupping used heated cups placed on the skin to draw blood toward the surface, sometimes breaking the skin to release it. Leeching involved placing medicinal leeches on the body to remove blood gradually and was often considered gentler and safer than venesection.
Life in the South Russian steppe presented challenges that made medical self-reliance essential. The early Mennonite colonies – Chortitza (founded in 1789) and Molotschna (founded in 1804) – were relatively isolated agricultural settlements. As a result, community-based healing became the norm. Midwives, herbalists, and experienced elders provided most medical care, drawing on a blend of traditional remedies and practical experience.
Bloodletting fit naturally into this system because it required minimal equipment and could be performed by trained laypeople. Mennonite diaries, letters, and community records from the era frequently mention Aderlassen (German for bloodletting) as a routine remedy. In some households, the tools for bloodletting – a lancet, a bowl, and sometimes a set of cups – were kept alongside herbal salves and tinctures. The practice was not viewed as exotic or extreme but rather as a normal part of maintaining health.
Bloodletting often produced immediate physical sensations – light-headedness, warmth, or relief from pressure – that patients interpreted as signs of improvement. In an era before germ theory, such results reinforced belief in the treatment and encouraged its continued use.
Bloodletting, like midwifery or herbal medicine, was a way for community members to support each other without relying on outside institutions. The act of tending to a sick neighbour or family member was woven into the fabric of Mennonite communal life, reflecting their values of service, humility, and interdependence.
Bloodletting was used for conditions such as high fevers, “bad blood” or skin eruptions, headaches and dizziness, rheumatic pains, and respiratory infections. Mennonite healers often combined bloodletting with herbal teas, poultices, and rest, creating a holistic approach based on the knowledge available to them. Although the practice could be dangerous if overused, it was considered a responsible and even compassionate form of care.
By the mid-1800s, medical science began shifting toward more modern understandings of disease. As Mennonite communities gained better access to trained physicians – some of whom were eventually Mennonites themselves – bloodletting gradually fell out of favour. New scientific ideas, improved sanitation, and the spread of vaccination contributed to changing attitudes. By the late 19th century, bloodletting had largely disappeared from Mennonite medical practice, replaced by newer treatments and, eventually, a growing trust in scientific medicine.
