THE BLOOD-SUCKING LEECII.

1361

foin. >pv

Ku ^]>hur ° e ” uy i a ) or vapours of the room, as the fumes of tobacco,^folente '| ln ®8 aT > &c., will prevent them biting, or even cause them

'i'he ^ t0 fa 1 off ‘

foly, hiantity of blood a leech is capable of drawing varies consider-,|Q t thinh 6 1GVe ^° Ur drachms t° be the maximum. On an average I do() f Cours ought to estimate it at more than one drachm and a half.j J *f, andvvb' l ^ laS 110 re ^ erence t° that lost after the animal has fallen• iug oftp ! ' var ^ es according to the vascularity of the part; in children11 <h'op s I! naos very considerable. When the leech has had sufficientt Cu,ll »me°i i • 1 ^ sa ^ that if the tail be snipped, the animal willJ v tl le 0 Me, the blood passing out posteriorly as fast as it is taken in'hie ii 1S |..°' Jl l ‘ I have tried several, but they usually let go their holdl 1 - 8:p i n the tail is cut. II. Cloquet {Diet , de Medec. art. Buna me,hi <lr( | S rna< le the same remark.

a P]>ly Sa |^' r to disgorge the leech of the blood, the usual practice is tol l H> uiiirn p ’. ts body ; but it is objectionable (if you wish to preserve'biys e ] a a b s uice the surface is frequently thereby blistered, and several'•' Ue(J zin C i ere tbe creature regains its former activity. Some adviseV ' lle gar t* 6 bJ°°d out by the mouth ; others the application of dilutedhead. If no kind of emetic be employed, the blood re-Jut WjiL.. a C0I1 siderable time in the stomach of the leech undigested,

.) b'ahle t KEa1ment -—When leeches have fallen off it is generally* e Us e of ° b roi uote the sanguineous discharge. This is best done byv l l ) Piiig.n.i' Vaim fomentations or cataplasms ; or even, in some cases, bya lle yea • aSl ? es ‘ Great caution is necessary in the case of children,tl^hld i a j S Slnce 5 the application of a leech was ordered to the chest off j at foe bi! U v llg under pneumonia; it was at the same time mentioned

a -eel_ceding should be encouraged. The directions were literally

j 6 dlsc barge of blood was assiduously promoted—until so largeivl- b>sto^ • ^ 6en ^ ost ’ Ibat death was the result. No attempt was(.foil the ^ Ilor notice sent to the Dispensary, in the practice oft, ( ]. foly Ca aS, f ° Cc nrred. The child being illegitimate, and the motherPlace ,i' C eSS °b its recovery, led some to suspect that this did nottre ordgj. i n ? Ug b 1Ile rc ignorance. In another instance, two leeches1 t° r a child aged about eighteen months, suffering with

ll>e pO( > )r 1 r ,n<lauilnat ' on ’ a consequence of measles. TheWl llU lo creature was found in a fainting, or; rather dymg jt^e,>h-£ e and bps completely blanched. On inquiry it appealed tl(i fosch S Were sti11 bleeding, and no attempt bad been made -to stopthe !! 111 '- 0 , the mother thinking it would be beneficia , more cspemlly*<: ] iul fo' Gu monic symptoms had considerably abated. As p ’

l b) som SU ^ erer died within twenty-four hours.

e l )e rsons there appears to be an hereditary pie M ^

'fo fatif 6 ’ So diat very slight wounds are attended wi l ‘

1 3) 4 effects. Mr. Wilson, quoted by Mr. Wardrop [op. sup «

Sh, p J ® ■ 1-el ated the case of a child where one leech had neai y ‘ ,

d.ID v 6 Seriou s hemorrhage. Wlien about three or four ) ears old,b,1 e l. . lj it its tongue, and notwithstanding that es eit j a ^ p

1 1 to ston t! lu ugue, ana notwittistanamg tnai every uueie been 16 ' -charge, death took place from loss of blood.

1 <a ‘fod j, CU b‘d to many cases of hemorrhage after leech-bites, andstopping it by compression. Sometimes mere exposure to4 s