Scarificators appeared in the early 1700s and were used for blood letting. The lever on top of the brass box releases a set of blades that snap out of the slits on the base providing a standardized depth and length of cut. This model has twelve blades- the most common number. It was owned by Dr. James Haller who practiced in Middletown, Ohio, in the 1840s and 1850s, and was a surgeon with General Sherman's Army in the U.S. Civil War.