Acupuncture
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
This 1930s encyclopedia article describes acupuncture as a largely abandoned medical method involving the insertion of fine needles into an aneurysmal sac to induce thrombosis and fibrin clotting. It also notes its diagnostic use for locating foreign bodies under fluoroscopy.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
ACUPUNCTURE (from the Latin acus - needle and pungere - to prick), a method currently almost abandoned, consisting of the introduction of thin needles up to 10 cm in length, provided with a handle at the blunt end, by rotational movements for therapeutic purposes into an aneurysmal sac, where fibrin clots are formed from the irritation of the intima, filling and thrombosing the aneurysmal sac. For diagnostic purposes, acupuncture is used for the exact localization of a foreign body, for which the needle is inserted until it touches this body while performing simultaneous fluoroscopy.
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Cite this page
“Acupuncture.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/acupuncture/