Nassau Bay resident Carol Filak thought her plastic surgeon, Dr. Charles Polsen, was kidding when he suggested using leeches to help reattach the tip of her right index finger. But as an artist ...

Once feared as a parasitic menace, the leech an ancient blood-sucking creature is making a comeback in modern medicine and ...

Bloodletting was central to medieval medical practice. It used leeches or sharp knife-like instruments to nick the vein and cause blood to drain from the body.

Medieval health maintenance. In the Middle Ages, the health of family members, from infancy to old age, was maintained through a variety of strategies that aimed for balance in the body.

From ancient Egypt through medieval Europe and into the late 19th century, leeches were used under the mistaken belief that they could help balance the body's fluids or "evil humors." ...