251. Text b Leeches

1. Imagine having a bloodsucking worm attached to your body – by a doctor! It may sound incredible, but it happens, and it’s known as leech therapy.

2. Leeches are a type of earthworm, and their use in medicine dates back 2,500 years. In Europe, the surgical removal of a patient’s blood using leeches was practiced widely until the 19th century. They were thought to cure many things, including headaches, obesity, eye disorders and mental illness. For most of the 20th century the use of leeches went out of fashion, but since developments in microsurgery in the 1980s, they have been making a comeback.

3. Leeches are often used today in plastic or reconstructive surgery, especially where a part of the body, such as a finger, hand, toe, or ear has become severed and has to be re-attached. This is how it works: sometimes a patient’s veins are unable to take blood away from the body part and so the blood builds up, causing “venous congestion”. When this happens, the re-attached part of the body turns blue and lifeless, and is at risk of being lost. Leeches attached to the body will suck the blood away, allowing the re-attached body part to survive until the veins begin to work normally.

4. The leech bite doesn’t hurt because leech saliva contains a natural anaesthetic. Leech saliva also contains substances which prevent the blood from clotting, and dilate the blood vessels to increase blood flow. When a leech is full of blood it simply falls off.

5. Leeches are inexpensive to buy, and easy to look after. And studies have shown that leech therapy can double the success rate of transplanted tissue flaps – for example, where a flap of skin is taken from one area of the body to cover a defect or injury in another area, as in facial reconstruction following cancer. This is a much higher success rate than that achieved through drugs or further surgery.

6. As you might imagine, patients are often disgusted at the thought of having slimy worms attached to their wounds. But when the benefits are explained to them they usually accept the treatment – most would rather have leech therapy than lose a part of their body.

7. However, there can be problems. Hazards associated with leech therapy include infection, excessive blood loss that may require blood transfusion, and allergic reactions. Sometimes the leeches slip off patients and re-attach themselves to other parts of the body that are not in need of treatment. Once they are full, leeches will look for a warm, dark place to digest their meal, and may burrow into wounds or enter the patient’s mouth or other orifices. To prevent escapes, nurses must keep careful count of the leeches.

254. Ex.24. Read the Text B. Match each topic below with a paragraph (A-G).

1. Problems with leech therapy. _____

2. How leech therapy works. _____

3. Patient reaction to leeches. _____

4. History of leech therapy. _____

5. Benefits of using leeches. _____

255. Ex. 25. Find words in the text with the following meanings:

1. to make something become bigger or wider;

2. cut off;

3. dangers;

4. outer openings in the body;

5. a state of being blocked or too full;

6. having a feeling of extreme dislike.

256. Ex. 26. In your own words, explain:

1. the job that leeches do;

2. some benefits and dangers of using leeches.