Leech therapy: a history

Bloodletting is an ancient procedure that was utilized for curing the ills of man. This article traces the use of leeches for bloodletting therapy from ancient Greek times to the Chapin Harris era in the 1840s to modern day usage by plastic surgeons. The leech is described as both a parasite and a therapeutic agent. The techniques used by both medicine and dentistry are historically documented.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Bloodletting is an ancient procedure that was utilized for curing the ills of man. This article traces the use of leeches for bloodletting therapy from ancient Greek times to the Chapin Harris era in the 1840s to modern day usage by plastic surgeons.

Erfahren Sie, wie diese Forschung mit der klinischen Praxis verknüpft ist

More peer-reviewed studies in Arzneimittelentwicklung.

• Novel Leech Antimicrobial Peptides — Hirunipins — Kumar et al. (2025)
• Medicinal Leech Genome Assembly — Anticoagulant Gene Catalog — Kvist et al. (2020)
• BRIGHT-4 Trial — Bivalirudin vs Heparin by BMI — BRIGHT-4 Investigators (2025)
• RE-LY Trial — Dabigatran vs Warfarin in Atrial Fibrillation — Connolly SJ et al. (2009)
• Hirudin Disrupts Breast Cancer CTC Clusters — Anti-Metastatic Potential — Research team (2025) (2025)
• Novel CRA Protein from Hirudo medicinalis — Complement Regulation — Research team (2025) (2025)
• Hirunipin-2 — Second-Generation Leech Antimicrobial Peptide — Kumar et al. (2025)
• Effects of hirudotherapy on liver functions, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity in rats with metabolic syndrome — Bilden A et al. (2026)
• Hirudotherapy in Medicine and Dentistry — Jha K et al. (2015)
• Medicinal leech therapy (hirudotherapy): a brief overview — Singh A (2010)