Cauterising irons, 1600-1700

In case of a seriously bleeding wound the major blood vessels had been bound up since the sixteenth century. Only if there was not enough time to treat each patient at length were the bleeding vessels cauterised with the aid of a hot iron. This was the standard treatment on the battlefield and on board of warships, where during hostile action there was scarcely time enough for anything.In order not to damage the surrounding tissue during cauterisation the surgeon used a protective plate, which he first laid on the wound. In this protective sheet was an opening through which the cauterising iron could reach the part to be cauterised, without scorching the surrounding areas.