I checked the phrasal meanings of all these three words. Closely related meaning to the short truth is just THEME.
In Ancient times, sickness was thought to be caused by an excess of blood. Therefore, doctors would cut into their patients and let some of the blood out to help cure them. This theory advanced into thinking that the human body needed all of its "humors" to be balanced: blood was one of the humors so if the doctor thought you had an imbalance, they would 'let' some of the blood out.
That I believe would be the answer, but is this multiple choice?
