Cauterising a wound, coloured 16th century engraving. Cautery is the application of heat to an area to seal it and prevent blood loss. The surgeon here has heated an iron in the fire and is pressing it to a wound. More irons are seen hanging on the wall (upper frame). Illustration taken from Hans von Gersdorff's Feldtbuch der Wundartzney (Fieldbook of Wound Surgery), published in Strasbourg in the mid-16th century.