What Is It? Game 59 - Neatorama

Yipee! It's time for our weekly collaboration with What is it? blog - can you guess what this strange tool above is for?

Place your guess in the comment section - you're playing for fun and bragging rights only this week (no prize). For more clues, check out What is it? blog!

Update 4/25/08 - the answer is: scarificator, used for doctors for bloodletting. Congrats to PCim who got it right first!

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Ah, it was too easy for you guys! It's a scarificator for bloodletting. PCim got it right, on the first comment too!

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someone please tell the guy that runs his site that the navigation makes NO SENSE and it's nearly impossible to figure out what I'm looking at.

and NOBODY likes to wait a week to find out what they're looking at.

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The technical term for this thingamabob is a "scarificator." As others have said, it's used for bloodletting. The hammer cocks back, pulling the blades inside. When the hammer is released, the blades pop out, slicing into the skin.

There are various versions of this type of "box" scarificator. I've seen ones with up to 16 blades.The box shape seems most common, judging on the number I've seen, but they can get pretty fancy.

Check out this page to see more:
http://www.phisick.com/zphleb.htm

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Definitely a steampunk AC adapter.

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It's a paperweight/nosepicker!

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