Do leeches suck bad blood? Detailed answer

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Do leeches suck bad blood? Detailed answer

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Do leeches suck bad blood?

Many years ago, when medicine was not yet as well developed as it is now, bloodletting was considered the cure for all diseases. Release more "bad blood" from the patient - and he will definitely get better! By the way, the British called doctors "leeches" because of their addiction to this proven remedy. In the early nineteenth century, leeches were so popular among doctors that some people even made a business out of leeches. In some countries, the seasons for catching these bloodsuckers even opened and closed!

At present, leeches are extremely rarely used for this purpose in Europe and America, although in some Eastern countries doctors still resort to them. But, even without being used to suck blood, leeches have not lost their significance for medicine: doctors use a substance secreted by their salivary glands. This substance is called hirudin and prevents blood clotting. This action is sometimes necessary during surgical operations.

Leeches are close relatives of earthworms. Most of them are flat and come in black, green or brown. Their length ranges from two and a half centimeters to one meter. Most of them live in fresh water, although some, especially large ones, live in the sea, and a small part live on land. On the head of a leech is a mouth similar to a proboscis, equipped with small pointed teeth. Leeches are not attracted to "bad blood" at all. They just need blood, because they feed on it. The bite of a leech is painless, with the exception of the bite of a "burning leech". Sometimes the only thing that can tell you that you have been bitten by a leech is the bleeding that continues after it has fallen off.

Leeches are not poisonous. But there were cases when people found themselves in the jungle in a helpless state due to some kind of injury or illness, became victims of leeches, which sucked so much blood out of them that they died of blood loss.

Author: Likum A.

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