Missionary-era bloodletting device found at Kemp House in Kerikeri

The scarificator was used for bloodletting in missionary-era New Zealand.

A strange medical device, uncovered during restoration work at Kemp House, is giving locals a rare glimpse into the crude medical practices used in missionary-era New Zealand.

The scarificator, a spring-leaded bloodletting device, was once used by missionaries in Northland and its main purpose was to inflict a flesh wound sufficient to draw blood from a willing patient/victim for the purpose of bloodletting.

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga collections advisor Belinda Maingay explained why this bit of medical apparatus – relocated from Kemp House as part of preparation for its upcoming re-roof project – was such an important part of the missionaries’ crude medical arsenal.

“At the time the missionaries arrived in New Zealand, bloodletting was a common medical practice which was believed to help balance the body’s ‘humours’ and restore a patient to health.

“Bloodletting involved draining a patient of quantities of blood and was used to cure a range of ailments. Or at least that was the theory.”

The scarificator addressed the age-old conundrum of how to draw blood from somebody without the use of intimidating and scary-looking sharp knives.

The doctor simply primed the spring-loaded scarificator, which consisted of numerous sharp blades, and placed the device over a promising part of the patient’s anatomy.

A simple press of the button and the blades hit their mark as quick as lightning, then immediately retracted back into the device, leaving in their wake a growing pool of blood which was then collected in a specially designed bleeding bowl.

The process was speedy, safe and virtually painless, and there was no need for disinfectant as that hadn’t been invented yet.

“To our eyes it really looks like medieval medicine as practised on New Zealand’s frontier, though it’s sobering to remember that at the time this was relatively mainstream medical practice,” Maingay said.

As to who owned the scarificator remains a mystery. If nothing else, it is a reminder that medical knowledge is a continuum, always changing and updating itself. And that what might be common practice in the 1820s could potentially be grounds for medical misadventure today.

“It’s a fascinating example of a missionary-era artefact which may not look like much – but which tells us so much about its time,” she said.

Built in 1821-22 by the Church Missionary Society, Kemp House is New Zealand’s oldest building and is currently being prepared for its roof shingles to be replaced early in the new year, with other strengthening and conservation work.

The Kerikeri Mission Station is still open for business, however, including the iconic Stone Store – Aotearoa New Zealand’s oldest store – and the famous Honey House Cafe. An exhibition based in the Stone Store looking at Kemp House over the years will also be available as a special tour experience for visitors.