Leeches and Medicine?

Take a close look at this yucky organism, what do you think about it? I know your mind would be saying “disgusting”. Believe me or not leeches are used as a device to cure some serious disorders for which doctors have been breaking their heads for decades, one such thing is microsurgery. Now, let’s dig out some history. Before the medicine and surgery went molecular and mechanical, physicians depended on what was available in the surroundings to treat illness. The materials used were minerals, metals and stuff from plants and some animal products. One organism which was entirely used was live adult leeches. Up-until a hundred years ago, physician’s bag usually had a few leeches, which were used for blood-letting of patients who had circulation problems. The ancient Egyptians, Greek and Indian medicine men used the leech; they attached the leech to the body for cure and detached it by sprinkling some salt water.
The leeches belong to the class of legless, backboneless animals called annelids or the ringed ones. Of the over 130 species of them, the one used in medicine is called Hirudo medicinalis. Have u ever had a leech bite? Don’t think it as yucky or disgusting; the bite of leeches is painless. I think it is the only organism that can suck our blood out without any pain. It is because of the presence of an anesthetic compound in its saliva. When the leech sticks to our skin immediately releases this compound and the skin at that area becomes numb. Besides this, it has got another enzyme called the hyaluronidase, which can break down the hyaluronic acid, the bonding material of connective tissue and one more is a vasodilator, which increases the diameter of the blood vessels and promote blood flow, this is the reason for the ancient historians to use leeches for the patients with the blood circulation problems.
In biotechnology, leech is of a great interest, this is because of the compound hirudin in its saliva. The potent compound known till date which inhibits the blood clotting and provides a continuous blood flow. This is why our skin remains bleeding even after the leech fall off. Scientists have managed to isolate the gene responsible for the hirudin production and clone it for the artifical production of hirudin for the research of modern medicine.
The leech is invaluable in microsurgery when faced with the difficulties of reattaching minute veins. Ears have such tiny veins that, in the past, no one was able to successfully reattach them. But the leeches have the capacity to save them. And it was proved the use of leeches in reattaching the minute veins which is termed as the microsurgery. Since then, leeches have saved lives and limbs, reducing severe and dangerous venous engorgement post-surgery in fingers, toes, ear, and scalp reattachments; limb transplants; skin flap surgery; and breast reconstruction. Medical use of leeches also includes treatment of black eyes, and hirudin is used in the treatment of inflammation of the middle ear. Hirudin is also being developed for experimental use as a systemic anticoagulant, and may prove useful in invitro blood sampling.