Universal cognitive mechanisms explain the cultural success of bloodletting

Evolution and Human Behavior • Vol/Iss. 36 • Elsevier • • Published In • Pages: 303-312 •
By Miton, Helen, Cladiere, Nicolas, Mercier, Hugo

Abstract

Authors test three explanations as to why bloodletting is such a near-universal therapeutic cultural practice in "the west." Using references from HRAF's database which are then re-coded for colocalization, practitioner, and cultural explanation, they find that bloodletting is practiced therapeutically by many unrelated cultures worldwide; it is heterogeneous in both form and cultural significance across the globe while still fairly ubiquitous in general. Authors posit that the widespread propensity toward bloodletting in human populations is explained by the universality of affecting/affected cognitive mechanisms. After analyzing cultural data in eHRAF, authors incorporated experiments and modeling that further supported this conclusion.

Note

Used 102 references from 60 cultures in HRAF's database.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
eHRAF World CulturesResearchers' ownData on bloodletting
Probability Sample Files (PSF)Researchers' ownSample of cultures analyzed

Hypotheses (3)

HypothesisSupported
Bloodletting tends to be practiced in a colocalized manner.Supported
Bloodletting is generally practiced by specialized third parties.Supported
A wide variety of tools will be used to perform bloodletting.Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: Christina Carolus  erik.ringen  jacob.kalodner