this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2024

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Dr 4Chan's Medical Advice (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 years ago by FireTower@lemmy.world to c/greentext@sh.itjust.works

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[–] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 28 points 2 years ago (18 children)

Why would you use a leech instead of a needle or something? What are they for

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[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 51 points 2 years ago

Not OP, but apparently they're useful for when you want a continuous, slow drain of blood. The ones they breed for hospitals don't carry disease, so you can just kinda plonk it onto the spot that you want blood out of, and replace it when it gets full

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[–] FilterItOut 47 points 2 years ago (9 children)

Wait until you find out what they still use maggots for...

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[–] spiderman@ani.social 5 points 2 years ago* (8 children)

what the fuck? why do they use that?

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[–] can@sh.itjust.works 21 points 2 years ago (7 children)

They're really good at eating dead rotting flesh?

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[–] spiderman@ani.social 4 points 2 years ago (6 children)

like dead body's?

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[–] can@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 years ago (4 children)

Nope:

Maggot therapy involves the use of maggots of the green-bottle fly, which are introduced into a wound to remove necrotic, sloughy and/or infected tissue. Maggots can also be used to maintain a clean wound after debridement if a particular wound is considered prone to re-sloughing.

Doctors and tissue viability specialists who have found that maggots are able to cleanse wounds much more rapidly than conventional dressings have reintroduced the technique into modern medicine.

They physically feed on dead tissue and release special chemicals into the wound that break down dead tissue into a liquid form that the maggot can easily remove and digest. The feeding maggot also takes up bacteria, during this process, which are then destroyed within their gut. It is an effective process that the larvae can often clean a wound within a few days.

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[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 11 points 2 years ago (3 children)

does it tickle when they eat you

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[–] can@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 years ago (2 children)

As per above source:

Most people are unaware of the maggots presence, although a small number of patients claim that they can feel the maggots moving but only describe this as a tickling sensation

Some other good FAQs:

Will Maggots bury into healthy tissue?
The maggots used in wound management will not attack or bury into healthy tissue, they only remove dead tissue.

Will the maggots multiply in my wound?
Only adult flies can lay eggs, so the maggots cannot reproduce or multiply within the wound.

Where do the maggots come from? Maggots are produced in a special unit by highly trained staff at Biomonde, a company with many years of experience in wound management.

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[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)

heartwarming

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[–] Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 years ago

Definitely woundworming and not heartworming

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[–] alekwithak@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

Burn victims

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[–] Perfide@reddthat.com 30 points 2 years ago

It's less about the blood they suck out and more about their saliva. It's a natural anticoagulant.

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[–] boogetyboo@aussie.zone 19 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Amputation sites I think? The suction attracts blood flow to the area and supports healing/retention of blood vessels... I think. Neither one of us clearly can be bothered googling but that's what I recall...

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[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 4 points 2 years ago (1 child)

google makes things too easy. great thinks were thunked back in the day where people had nothing but their own minds to consult.

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[–] Goldmage263@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 years ago

And bad thunks are thinked just as much now as then. Truly the worst of times

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[–] MrShankles@reddthat.com 16 points 2 years ago (1 child)

For skin grafts after burns; the leeches' saliva has anticoagulants that helps blood flow through the microvasculature (tiny blood vessels) of the area. This helps promote growth of new blood vessels, as well as improve the health of the current blood vessels in the area.

TLDR: Helps tiny blood vessels in skin grafts (and other procedures), reduces failure of said skin grafts

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[–] Natanael@slrpnk.net 4 points 2 years ago*

If anybody's wondering if there aren't more modern medicines and treatments...

Yes, but leeches are cheap and does the job just fine

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[–] GraniteM@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Others have already mentioned limb reattachment and anticoagulants, but if you're interested in learning more, I highly recommend a book called Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures. Leeches, mosquitoes, bedbugs, and vampire bats are fascinating!

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