venesection

/ˌvɛnəˈsɛkʃən/
noun
  1. The act or practice of cutting open a vein to draw blood, used historically or in modern medicine for certain treatments.
    • Venesection was a common treatment for many ailments in the 18th century.
    • Modern venesection is sometimes used to treat conditions like hemochromatosis.
    • The patient underwent venesection to reduce the number of red blood cells.