Guest guest Posted November 23, 2001 Report Share Posted November 23, 2001 Ian We were recently talking about leeches, and I happened to come across this snippet in a magazine in the coffee room at work:- "In the 19th century, leeches were used for blood-letting, which was believed to be a cure for anything from headaches to gout. As medical science advanced, this practice was largely abandoned. But now the bloodsuckers are making a comeback. A leech's saliva contains substances than anaesthetise a wound area, increase the blood flow and prevent blood from clotting. Scientists are researching their usefulness in the treatment of varicose veins, plastic surgery and heart disease. In fact, there's a leech farm near Swansea, in Wales, that supplies around 50,000 leeches to hospitals and research laboratories worldwide every year." Jo ---Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).Version: 6.0.286 / Virus Database: 152 - Release 09/10/01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 23, 2001 Report Share Posted November 23, 2001 leeches have a variety of "uses" they are used to reattach limb and such because they draw blood back into the affected area and they are used to remove blood that has pooled subcutaneously..makes bruises vanish real fast! tho, the thought of a leech sucking on me...ugh!!! *never going into the water again* fraggle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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