Leeches look like this:
...but are only the size of this:
...and this:
Leeches, as well as earthworms and several varieties of worms found in the sea belong to the phylum, Annelids. Unlike earthworms (and their oceanic cousins, too, I believe), leeches latch onto and suck blood from animals, including humans if that is who happens close enough for them to latch on to. They wait usually in water or tall wet grass or other vegetation for a passerby or just something that stops for a breather or stops to eat.
Their bite is so painless, in nature people don’t even know the leeches are there until they discover the leech or leeches hanging on them. When leeches fill up on blood, they drop off and wait for another passerby or mingler who comes in time for their next meal.
Some medical facilities use them for people who need to eat away bruises, swelling caused by excessive bleeding, and some (perhaps different from the type that sucks blood, not sure) even help in the treatment for psoriasis among other skin conditions. Would you let someone put a leech on you for cosmetic or medical purposes?
I saw a case where a man accidentally cut off his thumb with a machine saw. After the doctor(s) reattached his thumb, they used leeches on his thumb (several treatments) and the leeches brought down the swelling and helped in the healing process. Afterward, his thumb looked pretty good to have gone through what it did. The leeches must have been good for something, eh?
...and this:
Leeches, as well as earthworms and several varieties of worms found in the sea belong to the phylum, Annelids. Unlike earthworms (and their oceanic cousins, too, I believe), leeches latch onto and suck blood from animals, including humans if that is who happens close enough for them to latch on to. They wait usually in water or tall wet grass or other vegetation for a passerby or just something that stops for a breather or stops to eat.
Their bite is so painless, in nature people don’t even know the leeches are there until they discover the leech or leeches hanging on them. When leeches fill up on blood, they drop off and wait for another passerby or mingler who comes in time for their next meal.
Some medical facilities use them for people who need to eat away bruises, swelling caused by excessive bleeding, and some (perhaps different from the type that sucks blood, not sure) even help in the treatment for psoriasis among other skin conditions. Would you let someone put a leech on you for cosmetic or medical purposes?
I saw a case where a man accidentally cut off his thumb with a machine saw. After the doctor(s) reattached his thumb, they used leeches on his thumb (several treatments) and the leeches brought down the swelling and helped in the healing process. Afterward, his thumb looked pretty good to have gone through what it did. The leeches must have been good for something, eh?
