Attached to their patients.Leeches--small, bloodsucking blood·suck·er n. 1. An animal, such as a leech, that sucks blood. 2. An extortionist or a blackmailer. 3. A person who is intrusively or overly dependent upon another; a parasite. animals related to earthworms--are making a comeback in the medical world. Surgeons have found that the medicinal leech, or Hirudo medicinalis, helps heal skin grafts and reattached fingers and ears. When a leech attaches to a patient, it secretes chemicals that keep blood from clotting and increase the flow through reattached blood vessels Blood vessels Tubular channels for blood transport, of which there are three principal types: arteries, capillaries, and veins. Only the larger arteries and veins in the body bear distinct names. . These squirmy creatures have a long history in the world of medicine. In ancient Rome Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew from a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula circa the 9th century BC to a massive empire straddling the Mediterranean Sea. , they were used to "bleed" patients as a treatment for headaches and other maladies. By the 1800s, leeches were considered a virtual cure-all, and millions were used in Europe and the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . As medical knowledge advanced, the practice of leeching died out. Now, the F.D.A. has reinstated the medicinal leech by clearing its use as a "medical device." |
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