The item is a medical device used before the Civil War to collect blood during bloodletting. This artwork is from Dr. Leo J. McCarthy's personal collection and was rented to the Ruth Lilly Medical Library at Indiana University during scanning.

The Shao culture refers to an important Neolithic colored pottery culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, which lasted from approximately 5000 BC to 3000 BC (about 7000 years ago, with a duration of about 2000 years) and was distributed throughout the entire middle reaches of the Yellow River from Gansu Province to Henan Province. It was first discovered in Yangshao Village, Mianchi County, Sanmenxia City, Henan Province in 1921, so according to archaeological conventions, this culture is called the Yangshao culture. It is centered around Guanzhong, western Henan, and southern Shanxi, where the tributaries of the Yellow River, such as Wei, Fen, and Luo, and extends north to the Great Wall and Hetao areas, south to northwest Hubei, and east to eastern Henan. It currently exists at the Central Academy of Historical Research.