Nurse, the maggots [UK hospitals use of maggots for healing wounds]

The Times (UK) ^ | March 12, 2007 | by Peta Bee

[Tunehead54]

Gross Bump!

[pillut48]

Ahhhhhhhhh! You went there, LOL! :-)

[null and void]

That would be an 'off label' Rx...

[DarthVader]

This article proves that liberal democrats (maggots) have some useful purpose.

[Gay State Conservative]

Dr Joseph Upton,one of the finest hand surgeons there is (he's on the staff of several Harvard teaching hospitals) has used maggots and leeches in his practice for some time.

[Polybius]

I think its a great idea. Years ago leeches were used too.

Leeches are still used.

Leeches relieve venous congestion after cosmetic or reconstructive surgery on small body parts and help prevent the venous stagnation that can result in infarction from loss of blood flow.

Once used as an almost universal cure, leeches were largely abandoned by medicine but in the second half of the 20th century refound a role. That role is largely in plastic and reconstructive surgery. ..... Contemporary leech therapy was pioneered by the surgeons, M. Derganc and F. Zdravic, who published a paper in 1960 describing the use of leeches to assist in tissue flap surgery ....

[pandoraou812]

Cool. I know my grandma used them on my uncle's black eyes when they were little. My mom said she used to hate going down to the pond and collecting them. I guess my grandma knew a little about healing. She was always making up teas and tinctures etc . I have a book somewhere that she had my mother write down her old time remedies.

[stboz]

Does it tickle?

[Blackirish]

Maggots fixed me up just fine.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

After going through a Brown Recluse bite I would try anything if it happened again.

[null and void]

I have a book somewhere that she had my mother write down her old time remedies.

KEWL! Unless she forbade you, you should publish it!

[Dave Elias]

This is not new. Maggot therapy has long been known to modern medicine. It should be noted that not all maggots restrict their diet to proud flesh.

[Titan Magroyne]

If I had a wound for which maggot or leech therapy would be appropriate, I'd go for it under 2 conditions: Keep me stoned so I don't see them and don't care, and strap down my hands to prevent squishing them while scratching the itching wound.

That's all I ask.

[Osage Orange]

ROFLOL!!!

Good one..!!!

[yankeedame]

Oh good grief! Two questions:

If maggots were/are so wonderful -- these unacknowledged silver bullets of medicine -- then

1)Why didn't the folks who were pretty d--- familiar with them, say, oh, in the pre-19th century world -- routinely use them? Do research, write great medical and scientific tracts about the use of them?

2)If maggot treatment was so great (based on the assumption that it was used) why did have to be resurrected? You'd think it would never have fallen out of use.

3)(And to those who crow that the use of vermin will deny ee-vile pharmaceutical companies their ee-vile profits) Where did/does the NHS get the maggots they use? Did they look in the phone book? Do they scrape them off of something?

Face it, gang, the truth of the matter is that the NHS is broke -- morally and financially. In lauding the use of maggots and leeches they are struggling to make virtue out of a necessity.

(And I read that there's an increasing number of women dying in child birth under NHS. Ah, yes, socialized medicine bringing the 15th century to you, and visa verce.)

[gidget7]

"I once witnessed the grossest thing in the world:.....grown up maggots escaping the wound and finding their way all over the genitalia of a young man....even saw a few in his foley bag but was told that THAT was impossible....(not)"



And that is what they aren't telling in this article. They will escape and seek out feces. Who wants these things on them, never mind inside!!

[Popocatapetl]

Maggots also can be a sensible method to dispose of cadavers, in a way similar to how natural history museums use them to clean animal bones prior to display. Maggots are very thorough, and eat all the soft tissues.

It is no more gross than burial, to let underground insects do the same thing. Nor does it waste a huge amount of fuel to incinerate cadavers.

Other than bones, maggots leave behind artificial parts such as pacemakers, that need safe disposal.

Ironically, with the dried bones, it might lead to a return of the "ossuary", which is a room, usually a chapel, designed with human bones as decor.

[metmom]

More folklore and old wives tales.

[metmom]

Years ago leeches were used too.

I understand leeches are being investigated for use in dealing with reattached limbs. Apparently, the secrete asubstance that prevents blood from coagulating and allows blood flow through to the reattached part that would normally be blocked by clotting. This allows it to heal instead of having no blood supply and dying.

[metmom]

Reasonable requests, those.