In men, lovesickness was treated by prescribing baths, sports and rigorous activities whereas women were subjected to marriage, reading the Bible or physical treatments such as bloodletting.
Bloodletting from a vein was the most common treatment for lovesickness. The theory was that it realigned the humours and the victims would be cured. The surgeon would tie a tourniquet to collect the blood in the forearm, then would pierce the vein with the tip of lancet blade. The blood would be collected in a bowl and the surgeon would then bandage the arm.
The reflection of prevailing scientific knowledge in the art of the period was striking during the Renaissance. In the eighteenth century, the diagnosis and treatment of maladies like melancholy and lovesickness evolved as physicians’ knowledge grew and became more sophisticated. Today, lovesickness is portrayed in a very different way.