The medical practice of using chemical agents to cauterize or burn tissue, as an alternative to heat-based cautery.
From 'chemico-' (combining form from chemical) + 'cautery' (from Latin cauterium, from Greek kauterion 'branding iron'). Medical term developed as chemists learned to create caustic substances.
Before surgery became truly humane, doctors used chemical cautery with acids and caustic substances to stop bleeding—horrifying by modern standards, but it actually worked better than hot irons!
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