Traveling within the World
Odd Devices of Old
A place to display devices/utensils/tools/weapons of war and torture used through the ages.
above : Wooden acupuncture model, Asia, 1601-1700
In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture aims to improve the flow of qi (chi) or energy in the body by applying needles to specific points on the skin.
Tradition teaches that qi must flow freely through the body's meridians, or channels, to ensure health and well-being. The male figure made of wood shows where needles should be applied to the skin and the meridians through which qi flows.
The Cat’s Paw (also Spanish tickler)
About as large as four fingers of a man’s hand, these devices, usually attached to a short handle, served to rip the victim’s flesh to shreds and to strip it off the bones, in any part: face, abdomen, back, limbs, breasts.
Dept of PMM Artists & things
This torture was used to punish any type of offenders. Nevertheless, it was commonly reserved for thieves and unfaithful wives.
The cat's paw could be used to rip off the skin of any part of the body including, but not limited to, the breasts, face, back or chest.
This torture very frequently caused death not because of the injuries per se, but because of the infections that came along with the torture as sometimes the cat's paw would cut so deeply that one could see the bone itself which, combined with the fact that this device was very seldom - if at all - washed, could bring deadly infections and diseases.
Feb 3, 2011