Subscribe to Canada Free Press for FREE

Surgery and Health

Leeches, healing

This Hunter Wished He'd Gone Fishing

By Dr. W. Gifford Jones

July 25, 1993

Have you ever considered breeding leeches as a way to fight this recession? It's possibly the last thought in your mind even in these difficult financial times. But several years ago I suggested it would prove to be a sound investment. Time has proven me right. This week the story of how these slimy little worms helped to save a man's scalp following a grizzly attack.

It was not a good day for this hunter. He was in a remote part of northeast British Columbia when charged by a sow grizzly bear in a rather ugly mood. During the bear's vicious attack 75 per cent of the victim's skull was torn off by her jaws.

But the man survived the attack. Then luckily a paramedic was able to recover the badly mauled scalp. The story in the Medical Post doesn't say how this was done. But I'm sure any sensible paramedic would go looking for the scalp with great care!

The hunter was taken to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary where surgeons faced a formidable task. The torn scalp was not in good shape and 14 hours had elapsed since the attack. It required an eight hour operation to reattach the scalp to the skull.

But there's a major problem after this type of surgery. Blood vessels normally draining blood from the area have been damaged and no longer functioning. The result is that blood collects underneath the scalp and, unless removed, reattachment fails.

Lady luck was on the hunter's side. A young plastic surgeon had recently arrived from Stanford University in California. He told surgeons leeches were being used to aid wound healing in problems of this kind.

A quick call was placed and 100 specially bred leeches were imported from the United States. I imagine custom inspectors didn't waste much time examining them!

During the next week between 10 to 20 leeches at a time were placed on the patient's scalp. Within seconds of being positioned on the scalp under plastic metal cups the leeches attached themselves to the skin and started sucking blood.

After five to fifteen minutes the leeches grew to five times their original size of three centimetres and then fell off. These leeches were not reused.

Doctors reported that initially the leeches were replaced every four hours. But after a few days it was only necessary to replace them once a day.

The continual drainage of blood beneath the scalp kept the avulsed scalp flap alive until new blood vessels were able to grow back and drain the area naturally.¡ Amazingly new hairs are starting to grow back on the patient's scalp despite the fact that the scalp had been detached from the head for 14 hours after the attack.

Leeches possess another healing benefit. They produce protein in their salivary glands, creating an enzyme that acts as an anticoagulant. This keeps the accumulated blood from clotting, thus enabling the leeches to suck out the blood.

This case was a first for the history books; leeches used to saved a scalp torn off by a grizzly bear. But with the advent of microsurgery, leeches have been used for several years to reattach hands and fingers following accidents.

I believe most people would agree to leeches for a week rather than lose their scalp or a limb. But there is a major psychological problem to overcome. Leeches are not the most esthetic medication. Parents are reluctant to observe them on a child's severed hand for a week. Or on their own limbs either.

¡ Dr. Paul Callegari and Dr. John Moore, at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, have the answer for this problem. They developed a special "leech amphitheatre" which allows these creatures to do their good work unobserved.

¡ The patient's limb is placed in a clear plastic shield and then secured in place by plaster which obscures the view of leeches. A cap is placed over the end allowing easy access to doctors for observation of the progress of healing.

It's estimated that 10 per cent of patients who have microsurgical repair of severed fingers, hands or feet develop local circulatory problems which can cause the reattachment to fail.

Drugs such as heparin has been used to keep the blood from clotting. But this may also cause troublesome bleeding in other parts of the body. And rather than have my nails pulled off to release blood from a severed finger I'd prefer those slimy little worms. And next time I'd bet this hunter goes fishing!


W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com

My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:

Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1

Pre-2008 articles by Gifford Jones
Canada Free Press, CFP Editor Judi McLeod