SC - Re: SC: Use of Medicinal Leeches

[KallipygosRed at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/7/00 8:23:30 AM US Mountain Standard Time, 
tsersen at nni.com writes:


<< I wonder how good they are at reducing infections?  Like, sucking out 
infected
goo with the blood around a sutured wound in a pre-antibiotic era >>

No, actually, maggots were used for such things. The Leeches were good  for 
removing the "evil spirits and allowing the blood to flow" into the affected 
area, but maggots were used to remove the dead tissue and infected masses. 
This per a book I own called Crime and Punishment, The Medical History of 
Torture. I don't even remember where I got it originally, I think a gift 
(don't ask about my friends, they're scary). Years ago, about 1960, my mom 
had very badly ulcerated legs due to a blood disorder. The doctors at 
Letterman General Hospital got special permission to try various methods of 
treatment and leave one ucler as control (the disease she had is very, very 
rare). So, being the military smart fool the doctor was, he used various 
creams, oxygen blasts, ointments, and in one case sterile maggots born in the 
lab. Three days later they removed the maggots and had a spotlessly clean 
wound which they then used ointments on and covered.It never became infected 
and it healed two weeks faster than any of the others. No significant 
scarring. However,  when the doc wrote up his findings he was told by the 
hospital board that he was derranged to have wanted to try it, that it 
sounded torturous, and that such practices "went out in the middle ages". 
Basically, he was censured for using the technique. Consequently, I don't 
believe it was ever attempted again at that hospital. But I do know that 
years later I read where a baby was badly burned and the maggots were used to 
control the infections that happen with severe burn cases. It was during this 
time I got the book from my friends. In it, it says that the maggots were 
never used as torture, but actually by the medical staff that was called in 
to keep the patient alive and "vigorous of health and free of disease" to 
"endure continued questioning". I imagine in some cases that such "treatment" 
prolonged the torture, but I also imagine that in some cases it might have 
assisted in surviving the torture by some.

FYI.

Lars