LEECH THERAPY AND TREATMENT

History

The word “leech” is a derivation of the Anglo-Saxon “laece” meaning “to heal”. Or if literally translated a” physician”. The earliest records of use of leeches for medical purposes appear in paintings of Egyptian tomb, dated 1500 BC. Later Chinese, Arabic, Anglo-Saxon, Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, Roman and Persian medical texts provided frequent records of use of leeches. The most famous doctors of those times for example Galen and Avicenna promoted their use. In Indian mythology Lord Dhanvantari, the God of Ayurveda was often depicted holding leech in his hand. Ayurveda, the oldest medical system in the world that originated from India and is about 5000 years old, has been always using leeches to treat patients.

Leeches became particularly widespread between 17th and 19th centuries. In the 1830s England imported over 6 million leeches a year, Ireland about 4 million and France between 40 -100 million. Countries like Germany, USA, Russia and others used dozens of millions of leeches annually. Therefore, hundreds of millions of leeches were used by physicians throughout Europe and world. Their use was so common that physicians were often called “leeches”.