Abacination

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Abacination is a form of corporal punishment or torture, in which the victim is blinded by having a red-hot metal plate held before their eyes.

Historical precedent

Blinding as a form of punishment hails from very ancient times. Blinding specifically as a form of torture was recorded in ancient Persia. A corrosive chemical, typically slaked lime, was contained in a pair of cups with decaying bottoms, e.g., of paper. The cups were strapped in place over the prisoner's eyes as he was bound in a chair. The slowly draining corrosive agent from the cups eventually ate away at the eyeballs.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Hirsch, Arnold E., ed., The Book of Torture and Executions (Toronto: Golden Books, 1944), part 1.
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