1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff from the Science Lab from how stuff 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, guys, welcome to the podcast. This 3 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: is Alison I don't know, it's a science editor how 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. And this is Robert Lamb, science 5 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: writer and how stuff Works dot Com. And uh, you know, 6 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: I think we all love stories of of of science 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: getting it right and scientists, you know, really nailing something 8 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: with their experiments and inventions. You know, it gives us 9 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: you know, everything from uh you know penicillin too. You know, 10 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 1: robots that can tell us what wine to have with dinner, 11 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,879 Speaker 1: you know that kind of stuff. Indeed stuff Yeah, so 12 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, robot crowd pleaser. Yeah. In Japan. Uh, 13 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,159 Speaker 1: we love stories where where science works. But I I 14 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: also really love these stories where science really ends up 15 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 1: just on a winding goat path to nowhere. And uh 16 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: and one of one of my favorite examples of this, 17 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: at least that I've discovered in in the last year, 18 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:08,759 Speaker 1: so uh comes to a courtesy of Yorkshire is George Merryweather. 19 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: And this is back in the eighteen hundreds. He invented 20 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: this thing called the tempest Prognosticator. That is a pretty 21 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,120 Speaker 1: fancy title. Yeah, and I've seen some some photographs of 22 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: the of some replicas of it. It basically looked like 23 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 1: a steampunk merry go round, all right, you know it's 24 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: very Victorian era kind of an invention. Uh, you know, 25 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: it's eighteen fifties, eighteen fifty one actually and uh except 26 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: instead of little um, little wooden animals to ride on 27 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: in the school miniature carousel deal, Uh, there were little 28 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 1: glass bottles and each one had a leech in it, 29 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: a nice little, you know, fat bloodsucking slug type worm creature. 30 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: Doesn't sound well. It was on display at the World's 31 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: Fair and the Great, the Great Exhibition London's Crystal Palace, 32 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: and the whole purpose of this was it was a barometer. 33 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: Essential of course, the barometer is the divice you know, 34 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: of course, a barometer. The whole deal is, you know, 35 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: it's for atmospheric pressure in all and um, and atmospheric 36 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: pressure is one of the key indicators of what the 37 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: weather is going to do and how to leaches enter 38 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: into this holy equation. Well, apparently there's like this, you know, 39 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:18,520 Speaker 1: there's all there are all these folk tales about like oh, 40 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 1: if you go outside and you see a wooly worm 41 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: halfway up a trunk. It means there's gonna be a tornado. 42 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: You know, there's all you know, that kind of stuff. 43 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: And apparently there was like some sort of folk tradition 44 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: about leeches being able to tache. Yeah, yeah, And I 45 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: guess it's kind of like you're in a time when 46 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: science there's a lot of enthusiasm about science, and sometimes 47 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: science gets mixed up with some thoroughly unscientific ideas like this. 48 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: And so this idea emerged that leeches could sense electromagnetic 49 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: changes in the atmosphere them. So naturally, what you do 50 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,840 Speaker 1: is you build a little carousel type device with all 51 00:02:52,880 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: these with these twelve glass vials, each one has a 52 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: little little leech in it. And if they that the 53 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:03,240 Speaker 1: ideas that the leeches will sense this change in the 54 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: air and they'll start crawling up the tube to get 55 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: to an escape area, all right. And if they go 56 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 1: up then they will sit, they'll trigger this little hammer 57 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: that'll ring a bell which will let be the owner 58 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,679 Speaker 1: of the tempes prognasticator know that some some bad weather 59 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: is coming his way. Okay, so a couple of things 60 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: here about the tempest problem. What if you have an 61 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: outlier leech who really just likes to climb up the tube, 62 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: you know, bec and get cozy up there, maybe take 63 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: a little leech nap or whatever. And then how do 64 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 1: you figure out like is it six out of the 65 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: twelve leeches or eight of the twelve or do all 66 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: twelve leeches have to crawl up and you know hit 67 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: the hammer and sound the bell? How does this work? 68 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: And what if leeches are influencing one another's behavior, like 69 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: one leech crawls up, then oh that guy's gone up. 70 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: You must know something, So I'm gonna go up to 71 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: I mean, how does this all work? Yeah? I think 72 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: you're clearly thinking about it more than the guy who 73 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: invented it, Like these are some questions you should have 74 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: been asking. Um. But the interesting thing thing about it 75 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,119 Speaker 1: is you can you can actually see a working replica 76 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: of this at a barometer exhibition in Devon, England, and 77 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,880 Speaker 1: then there's also one at the Whitby Museum in North Yorkshire. 78 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: Um So, anyway, I was really fascinated. That comes courtesy 79 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: of Mark Siddall's excellent leech blog bidela Nea, which apparently 80 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: means leach News and Victorian web dot Org. Great. Yeah, 81 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: so there's something still enriched or yeah, enriched by bad science. 82 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 1: So so that's some bad science to start off. Well, 83 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: let's let's before we get all crazy on Merryweather. I 84 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,600 Speaker 1: would like to give him credit for trying, right, some 85 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: of these crazy ideas succeed. Who knows, Yeah, I mean 86 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: and and it's I actually like to envision what the 87 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: world could have been like had this work, you know, 88 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 1: really taken up. Like what if we were living in 89 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: an age where things like the leech barometer or um 90 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: or some of the other crazy ideas that take far 91 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: too long to explain were like the predominant science in 92 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 1: ACTU work. So today we were like, oh, I don't 93 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: know what the weather is going to do tomorrow. I 94 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,279 Speaker 1: gotta go get a fresh pail of leeches for my 95 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: for for my machinery. You know. Well, I feel sure 96 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: that in some parallel universe perhaps they are, hopefully so. 97 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,840 Speaker 1: But in this world leeches uh are pretty much used 98 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: for um basically one thing. Second blood yep, suckond blood. 99 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: That's what they're good for. Let's let's do a little 100 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: review of the leech. Okay, so it's not just the leech, 101 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: of course, there are many different species, are hundreds in 102 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:33,600 Speaker 1: facts six hundred and fifty um and they arranged in 103 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: size it can be anywhere from one centimeter to a 104 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:38,920 Speaker 1: little less than a foot. And of course they live 105 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,280 Speaker 1: in and around water. I have to say, when I 106 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: was were proposed this podcast topic, I kept on thinking 107 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:49,120 Speaker 1: of that scene by a the scene from stand By Me. Yeah, yeah, 108 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:52,760 Speaker 1: that's that's my premier exposure to that. That one's pretty gross. 109 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: Stephen King also I hit us with a pretty grotesque 110 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: one in the novel It. I don't remember that well. 111 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: I do because it was pretty traumatic when I read 112 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: it at like age twelve or something. So some leeches, 113 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: not all of them, feed on blood. Some of them 114 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,599 Speaker 1: are known to uh ingest a little plant material, decaying 115 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:17,000 Speaker 1: plant materials specifically, and they really live just about anywhere 116 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: there's water. Yeah, they prefer fresh, but I've seen some 117 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: reports of them living in pretty salty popping up it's 118 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: pretty salty water too. So how do they find their host? Well, 119 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,720 Speaker 1: they apparently detect things like skin oils, blood, heat, carbon 120 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: dioxide that we're breathing out blood and heat mean right, yeah, 121 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 1: blood and heat not blood heat. That sounds like you've 122 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: ever heard of that scientific It sounds like a really 123 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:46,040 Speaker 1: cheesy like cop film blood heat and they and they 124 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:48,720 Speaker 1: sniff out some carbon dioxide, right yeah, yeah, and they 125 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: can you know you when you see them on skin, 126 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: of course, they're they're kind of like little slugs and 127 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:55,119 Speaker 1: they don't have a lot of movement, but in water 128 00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: they're pretty swift. They can just swim around all over 129 00:06:57,400 --> 00:06:59,480 Speaker 1: the place. That's their abotat, Yeah, with a nice little 130 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: undulating motion they have. They have two suckers, one on 131 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,680 Speaker 1: each end. The rear suction cup helps the leech to 132 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 1: move around on dryer surfaces, um, like you know, your 133 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: thigh or whatever. Uh and uh, and to attach the 134 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: host in the front suction cup. That's where you have 135 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: a mouth with like throe with these three sharp jaws 136 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:23,239 Speaker 1: which leave a y shaped bite. Okay, I wasn't familiar 137 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: with the shape of the bite. Yeah, I don't know 138 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: that I've ever had a leech attached to me. I 139 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: have not, thank thee. Yeah, I definitely slam in some 140 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: waters where I could have gotten one. But yeah, yeah. 141 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: So they don't feed all that often, but when they do, 142 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: they eat an insane amount. Um. You said it a 143 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: statistic in here that said a four or five large 144 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: leeches can drain the life from a rabbit in half 145 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: an hour, and they're they're basically these blood balloons. Yeah, 146 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: and they can reach several times their own body way. 147 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: Imagine that you sat down to a meal and you 148 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: just kept eating and eating and eating. I mean, I 149 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: don't know how much you weigh now, you probably don't 150 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: want to give that away on air, but just eating 151 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: several times your body weight, yeah, it would be pretty grass. 152 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: I mean, it seems like I mean, I think ticks 153 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,400 Speaker 1: do pretty much the same thing. It's like, I guess, 154 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: a pretty pretty common like parasite practice and also things 155 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,119 Speaker 1: like you know, monitor lizards, you know other creatures where 156 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: when you get that one meal, you just bet yourself silly. Yeah, 157 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: and then you can just spend the rest of the 158 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: time digesting it. Yeah. And they eat for quite a 159 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 1: while too. Sometimes they can remain in place for as 160 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: little as thirty minutes, but like six hours, just filling 161 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: up on that blood. Well. So the cool thing is um. 162 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,040 Speaker 1: The saliva has a host of really interesting components, and 163 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:42,040 Speaker 1: some of them are anesthetic and anti coagulants um and 164 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: there's one in particular called Harridan harudin It's like sharooken 165 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,880 Speaker 1: and street fire, so the host doesn't feel the incision, 166 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: and you know, their their meal can continue uninterrupted without 167 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:58,240 Speaker 1: any blood cloths, without the host noticing. I'm assuming yeah, 168 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: and they they just keep gorging them else and blood 169 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: and then bang oh if they get enough and they 170 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: roll their fat little selves off to digest the meal. Yeah. 171 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 1: I was really and impressed by by a couple of 172 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,199 Speaker 1: the things that ran across because if they're do tell 173 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 1: them yes, definitely, Like well, first of all that and 174 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: you can find pictures of this. They can attach to 175 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: your eye that is really terrible and you have to 176 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: be careful removing them because you're like, oh, I pulled 177 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,080 Speaker 1: the leech off, but they're still like leech head in 178 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: my eyeball, you know, kind of situation which is just 179 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:30,079 Speaker 1: And they can attach to your throat and I mean, 180 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 1: of course they can attach to your yeah, but now 181 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: just the outside of the inside, which there was this 182 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 1: incident where Napoleon's troops were marching from Egypt across the 183 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 1: Sinai Peninsula to Syria and this is like they get 184 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: really thirsty, right, so what do you do. You start 185 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,000 Speaker 1: drinking all the water you can find even when they're 186 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: just a bunch of leeches in the water. So they 187 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: ended up getting leeches inside their mouth and in their throat, 188 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: and like some guys ended up sort of coming to 189 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: blood loss, but other people they were the leeches were 190 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:01,679 Speaker 1: just drinking blood out of the inside of their throat 191 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: and it was just like making it just caused all 192 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:08,080 Speaker 1: this like swelling, and then they couldn't breathe, and it's grotesque. 193 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: That is a really terrible way to die. Imagine you 194 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: probably didn't even know, you know, And would it be 195 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: worse to now? I wonder in that instance, like I 196 00:10:17,120 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 1: don't know why I can't breathe, or I know I 197 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:22,040 Speaker 1: can't breathe because leeches are, you know, sucking on my 198 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: throat and slowly killing me. I wonder if knowledge is 199 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: better or worse in that instance. I don't know. You 200 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: need something like really sharp to start munching on. I 201 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:32,840 Speaker 1: guess like wheat fins or something, you know, some cool 202 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: ranch doritos so you can unlatch them. Of course, leeches 203 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,319 Speaker 1: as healers is not a new concept at all. We've 204 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: been using them for ages um and yeah, particularly in medicine, 205 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 1: And why don't you tell us about the humors. Oh yeah, yeah. 206 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: So you know there's the old uh you know, kind 207 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: of like medieval idea that the body is ruled by 208 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: four humors and uh, and when these humors get out 209 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 1: of balance, that did you out? Did you look up 210 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: what the four humors were? I'm out of trouble. Remember 211 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: what the four are? There's there's bile, and there's blood, 212 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 1: and then there are two other kind of nasty things. 213 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 1: I think it's maybe, um, okay, I can't remember. Okay, 214 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: so but therefore them you can look them up there. 215 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:12,319 Speaker 1: I don't know why I'm forgetting the other ones. But uh, 216 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:14,320 Speaker 1: but anyway, you know, these things get out of balance 217 00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: and then they can cause everything from like schizophrenia to 218 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:21,720 Speaker 1: flash onnes you know, it's like any kind of medical problem. 219 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 1: It's like, oh, well, your humors are out of whack, 220 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:26,320 Speaker 1: let's throw some leeches of that problem. I would like 221 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: to go to the med school where you only have 222 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: to learn about humors. Back in the day, people, Um, 223 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: you haven't the medieval medical schools. Yeah, and so leeches 224 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: they pretty much threw leeches or not through I guess 225 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,000 Speaker 1: they gently attached the leeches to to any of these 226 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: any and all of these illnesses. Well, right, Well, I 227 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:44,600 Speaker 1: guess one of the things, you know, which we'll get 228 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: to in a second, is they there are things that 229 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:49,839 Speaker 1: they can be very useful for indeed, and we'll get 230 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 1: to those. Yeah, And I guess it's kind of like 231 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: if you know you're in you're in the Middle Ages, 232 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: and especially if you're I mean granted, in the Middle 233 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 1: Ages there were areas where people were actually thinking about 234 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: what they were doing, but they necessarily have like the 235 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: same scientific principles and standards to to to to make 236 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: sure you know what you're doing. So you know, it's 237 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: just kind of like throwing a lot of things at 238 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: the wall and seeing what sticks, but not necessarily you know, 239 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 1: rigorous sis just through a lot of leeches at a problem, 240 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: see what trash. Yeah, but I mean in a sense, 241 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:20,680 Speaker 1: it does make sense if you have something that you 242 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: know it works or you know, maybe it works on um, 243 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: you know, when you have a pool of blood sitting 244 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:28,959 Speaker 1: there and a leech can suck that up, then I mean, 245 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: why not you know, try to extend the boundaries of 246 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,559 Speaker 1: that particular therapy, and maybe that's what they're doing. Yeah, 247 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: it was just without regulation or you know, our science 248 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: necessarily Again in check, it seems like it would be 249 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 1: a fun time to be a medieval doctor. Yeah. Generally 250 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: when you think of medieval medicine, you think fun time. 251 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,440 Speaker 1: But but anyway, so yeah, but for the longest Yeah, 252 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: the medicinal use of leeches was was big business. Like 253 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:57,400 Speaker 1: nineteenth century governments even had to impose tariffs and trade 254 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: bands because, like, people were using so many of them. 255 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: It's like they were at the verge of extinction at times. 256 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:06,160 Speaker 1: There was even leech smuggling going on around the Russian border. 257 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:10,839 Speaker 1: So I love the ideas, you know, blood drinking parasites 258 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 1: as currency. Yeah, totally. And then um, the problem was 259 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,560 Speaker 1: was that breeding efforts weren't all that successful, and so 260 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,400 Speaker 1: some areas there were actually leeches were collected, you wrote, 261 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 1: to the point of near extinction. Yeah, And I wonder 262 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 1: what it was like to be a leach collector, Like, 263 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 1: was it basically you just your head down to the 264 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: leech pond and you stick your arm in. I think, see, 265 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: I feel like I've read something about someone that was 266 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:35,319 Speaker 1: a leach collector, but it might have been something fictional. 267 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,439 Speaker 1: But you'll have to enlighten us on and Twitter when 268 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: you find it. So in reality, um, the leaches probably 269 00:13:43,640 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: had little effect on all of these different illnesses they 270 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: were used to treat. And by the late nineteenth century 271 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: or so that the blood letting had fallen out of favor. Yeah, 272 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:54,920 Speaker 1: because it wasn't working for most things, and it kind 273 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: of became viewed as barbaric and it just wasn't refined 274 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,840 Speaker 1: enough and you know again and it wasn't doing most 275 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:03,719 Speaker 1: of what it claimed to do. But then there was 276 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 1: a resurgence in modern medicine. And really essential to this 277 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: is the particular what the what the substance in question 278 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: is is rudin again and especially the medical in the 279 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:24,800 Speaker 1: medical leech, which is here do medicinallys um say that again, No, 280 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: it's just the medical leech in this podcast, right. So, Um, 281 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: something that I was thinking about when we were talking 282 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 1: about doing this podcast was, Okay, we have this resurgence 283 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: of leeches in modern medicine. You know, why don't we 284 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: just use drugs that are derived from the herod in 285 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: the polypeptide that you know that conhibit the enzyme thrombin 286 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: from inducing blood clouds. Why don't why don't we just 287 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: you know, derive substances from this in the lab and 288 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: you know, and in fact we have we do have 289 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:56,560 Speaker 1: drugs like this. So it just made me wonder if 290 00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: leeches would fall out of favor, because maybe you'd rather 291 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: pop a pill then, you know, slap a leech on. Well, 292 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:03,960 Speaker 1: I think like some of the things working in its favors. 293 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 1: I understand that hedin herodin is it'cause you don't get 294 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: a lot of it from a from a from an 295 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: individual leach if you try and harvest it, and and 296 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: and I understand it's like that's synthesizing. It is rather 297 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: problematic and complicated as well. Um. But but also leeches 298 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 1: are pretty easy to to to maintain. I think you 299 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:26,520 Speaker 1: have to like change their water a lot, but you 300 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: know you can you can like mail them and stuff. 301 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 1: I mean not like in an envelope and like a 302 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 1: little a special procedure. Please don't mail as any leaches. 303 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: But but but you know, they're they're pretty hardy, um, 304 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:40,080 Speaker 1: and they're easy to apply and and it's like pretty 305 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:41,760 Speaker 1: easy to regulate. It's like you need to drain more 306 00:15:41,760 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: blood slap on another leech. You know. Well, in particular, 307 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: surgeons have found them pretty useful and cheat by the way, 308 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: they're pretty cheap, right, well, so surgeons have found them 309 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: pretty useful for particular kinds of surgeries like tissue grafting 310 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: or say I have to reattach a limb, Hey, I 311 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 1: might want to have some leeches backups waiting to be used. 312 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: And they're handy because of course they can remove the 313 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 1: pools of congested blood from swollen areas that are going 314 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 1: to interfere with circulation and that can cause tissu death eventually, 315 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 1: you know, to post surgery. Yeah, it all comes back 316 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: to this a lot. First the heroine, which is an antacoguant, 317 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:21,200 Speaker 1: and then also the the sliva also has these local 318 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: anesthetic an aesthetic properties that also have to I think 319 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 1: they can have sort of an anti biotic kind of 320 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: reaction as well. Yeah, the sliva is kind of a 321 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:32,480 Speaker 1: natural medicine chest of all sorts of interesting stuff. And 322 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:34,600 Speaker 1: another interesting thing that you're talking about was that the 323 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: leech is really handy in microsurgery. Yeah, and that's when 324 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: you're talking about reattaching these really tiny veins like in 325 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 1: a child for example. Yeah. Yeah, there was a case 326 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 1: where um, a Harvard physician was he was having a 327 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: lot of trouble reattaching the year of a five year 328 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: old and uh, because they're all these little tiny veins 329 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 1: and they keep clotting, and he was able to successfully 330 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: use leeches to to help it. Because again they're they're 331 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: kind of like they're little pumps, you know, you put 332 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:04,800 Speaker 1: them on and they start. They cause blood to circulate 333 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,399 Speaker 1: and they keep it from clotting. Um. I'm tempted to 334 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 1: make some really convoluted metaphor about about economic resurgence, but 335 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:16,000 Speaker 1: I'm going to hold that. Yeah, apparently these are sometimes 336 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: they're also sometimes used with with diabetics, uh, because you 337 00:17:19,840 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 1: end up with this like with thicker blood and uh, 338 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: and there's a higher risk of blood clots. So again 339 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 1: the heroinin can potentially be used to promote a better 340 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,800 Speaker 1: circulation or at least in in cases where it supposes 341 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:39,399 Speaker 1: a serious threat. And then you also came across a 342 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:42,719 Speaker 1: German gentleman, a researcher by the name of Andrea Snickelsson. 343 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 1: And he's out of or at least he was at 344 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: the time out of the University of Dusburg Essen in Germany. Apologies, 345 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,679 Speaker 1: I hope I had to hit that German pronunciation. Okay, 346 00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:58,160 Speaker 1: but this gentleman was suggesting that leech therapy may lessen 347 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:02,040 Speaker 1: the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis. Um um, you 348 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 1: guys know that's you know, an inflammatory disease, and the 349 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 1: bones can grind against one another because the card hass 350 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: been worn down. It's incredibly painful, a lot of daily 351 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: pain that arises with this condition. And I was confused 352 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: as to how this, how how leeches might tie into 353 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:24,120 Speaker 1: osteoarthritis until I remembered that, you know, the the saliva 354 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: of a leech, it does have so many substances, and 355 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 1: so the reason why leeches might be used in this 356 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: instance isn't for the bloodletting, but rather for the anesthetic, 357 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:37,400 Speaker 1: the analgesic properties of that saliva, and so um. Nicholson 358 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 1: has done a couple of small studies. He did one, 359 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:42,360 Speaker 1: I think it had an end of sixteen or so, 360 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 1: and uh, it was by no means definitive, but he 361 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 1: tested it out and um, you know, gave the patients 362 00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: half the patients treatment with leech therapy, just a single treatment, 363 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,680 Speaker 1: and then a half with whatever prescribed corsotherapy was out 364 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: at the time. And uh, with this single treatment they did. Uh, 365 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: the osteoarthritists. Patients did report, in fact some lessening of pain. 366 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 1: Um and in fact the effects from that one single 367 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: treatment lasted for up to a month. I believe the 368 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:12,600 Speaker 1: study had said, um, so it's kind of interesting. And 369 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,200 Speaker 1: then again, you know, he he couldn't drop the leech 370 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,920 Speaker 1: and it's promised for osteoarthritis, so he looked into it later, 371 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 1: bigger study I think it was in two thousand three, 372 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: fifty one patients and the same thing. Your control group 373 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:28,240 Speaker 1: got whatever prescribed, of course the therapy. A couple of 374 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:32,119 Speaker 1: people got leech therapy, and again he thought that people 375 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 1: reporting significantly less pain, although the effect dropped off I 376 00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,520 Speaker 1: think after a week in this case. So it's kind 377 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: of interesting. And even more interesting is Robert and I 378 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:45,119 Speaker 1: were talking about this podcast right before we went in 379 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: the studio. You know, we'd like to nail this down 380 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:50,800 Speaker 1: so tightly for you guys listeners. And if there's an 381 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: editor here who overheard our conversation, and she grew really 382 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:59,280 Speaker 1: interested that leeches could be used for steo athritists, especially 383 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,359 Speaker 1: as she was allergic to painkillers. So we may have 384 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:04,639 Speaker 1: turned someone on at how staff works dot com to 385 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: using leeches which I thought was interesting. We'll see we 386 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:09,399 Speaker 1: have to follow up with her how that works, and 387 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: maybe she could make a guest appearance on her show 388 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: sometimes tell us how it's going. Now. One thing to 389 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: keep in mind with the leeches is that apparently up 390 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:24,919 Speaker 1: of patients treated with the leeches developed infections caused by 391 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: back to I'm gonna I'm gonna try and call it 392 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:33,479 Speaker 1: say the bacteria aero mons hydrophilia. Alright, that's my guests anyway, 393 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:37,960 Speaker 1: at that particum pronunciation. Anyway, So these infections are apparently 394 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: not that huger deal. They can be treated with antibiotics 395 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:42,879 Speaker 1: and uh, but it's led some researchers should try and 396 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:47,479 Speaker 1: develop artificial leeches, robot leeches, I guess, like little pumps 397 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 1: and all. But I've been going of the problems there 398 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 1: is that again, leeches are cheap, they're easy to use. 399 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 1: If you need more, you can just slap on another one, 400 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 1: and uh, you know, so the technology hasn't exactly picked 401 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:01,000 Speaker 1: up speed. Meanwhile, they're plenty of Like I was looking 402 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:05,560 Speaker 1: at a website that supplies leeches medically. Weirdly enough, they 403 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: have like a section for also like leeches for fishing. 404 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:10,760 Speaker 1: Raise them is bait. So it's kind of weird to 405 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: get your medical supplies and your bait shop needs met 406 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 1: by the same website, but you know whatever. But it's 407 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:18,520 Speaker 1: it's pretty cool. Like they you know, they ship them out. 408 00:21:18,520 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: They have they have a section where they show the 409 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,400 Speaker 1: little containers that they ship them in and you can 410 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: even this is really cool. You can get like a 411 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 1: special like kind of the only way I can describe 412 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: it is like a cookie jar for leeches. It's like 413 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:34,239 Speaker 1: a really like elaborate looking like container to keep your 414 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:37,600 Speaker 1: leeches in. It looks really cool. I don't see why 415 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,679 Speaker 1: leeches haven't caught on his pets. Well, you know, they 416 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 1: probably look pretty cool on a tank, like swimming around, 417 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 1: you know, no, no doubt. Yeah, I'm sure they would 418 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:48,800 Speaker 1: come and you know, sit on your finger, no problem. 419 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: Maybe it's like a little blood. Yeah, and if you 420 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: have heart problems, think of the you know, they you 421 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:56,879 Speaker 1: could you just want them nibble on your finger for 422 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,119 Speaker 1: a little while. What could happen? Now? One thing you 423 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 1: would you would actually asked when we were going over that. 424 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:03,960 Speaker 1: You were like, well, they do leeches ever, like suck 425 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:06,200 Speaker 1: the blood out of other leeches after they're fill full 426 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: of blood, right, so in the leech tank in the 427 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,680 Speaker 1: each jar and I looked it up and apparently they 428 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: have they have observed it with medical leeches like they 429 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,159 Speaker 1: were I think they were specifically seeing if it would happen. Uh, 430 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 1: and it did. Like they put it. They put a 431 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,160 Speaker 1: lettle leach feed get it, let it, got it nice 432 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: and swollen up with blood. I think they used cows 433 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: blood in the experiment and then they put it in 434 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: with some other leeches and they were like they just 435 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: they went after it and they sucked it dry and 436 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 1: killed it. So it's a leech eat leech world. Yeah. Indeed, well, 437 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:38,840 Speaker 1: so far the US Food and Drug Administration has cleared 438 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,159 Speaker 1: the way for medical leeches um because they are available 439 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:44,159 Speaker 1: for treatment. And I think that was back in che 440 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: thousand four, right. And it's it's interesting the way they 441 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,960 Speaker 1: carry it off. I mean, the you know, the very 442 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:54,640 Speaker 1: medical um, you know application of a blood sucking parasite. Uh. 443 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:56,960 Speaker 1: You know, it's like they take the they rinse the skin, 444 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 1: clean it, you know, and make sure it's nice and clean, 445 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: and they out. So you're you're talking about the leech 446 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: therapy have to actually actually apply it for you know, 447 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,600 Speaker 1: something from one of these methods you can then you 448 00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 1: but you need to put up like a gauze barrier 449 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:11,679 Speaker 1: to keep the leach from moving away from the area. 450 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:13,439 Speaker 1: And wanted, Yeah, you want because you want it to 451 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:16,640 Speaker 1: feed on this particular area. And sometimes you know, there's 452 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:18,440 Speaker 1: it's kind of like getting your cat to do something. 453 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: You know, it's like they never want to actually do it, 454 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:22,640 Speaker 1: so you put the leach down. Sometimes leech doesn't want 455 00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,119 Speaker 1: to feed, so you have they have to draw a 456 00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 1: little blood from the patient like with the with the 457 00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 1: needle and then like squirt it onto the area and 458 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:31,960 Speaker 1: get to start to get the leach riled up and 459 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: interested feeding. So that's kind of you can lead a 460 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:42,159 Speaker 1: leech to blood, but it's difficult to make him drink, right. Okay, 461 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 1: If that hasn't impressed you enough about leeches and they're 462 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,920 Speaker 1: various interesting qualities, we have a last story for you 463 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 1: about leeches. Yeah, and this one is that this is 464 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: another tip that that comes off of of Mark's bidella 465 00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:01,160 Speaker 1: Nea blog, which is again like it's all leeches, uh 466 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,199 Speaker 1: and and he covers like a literally cool stuff, like 467 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,920 Speaker 1: you know, there's one entry had just about like leeches 468 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:10,480 Speaker 1: in various mythologies and about how they tie in. So 469 00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 1: it's really cool stuff. But he related this one bit 470 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: and this was about eight years ago. Apparently, Um, this 471 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 1: guy like broke into this uh seventy one year old 472 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:24,160 Speaker 1: woman's home in Tasmania, all right, and he makes off 473 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 1: with all this money, a whole bunch of cash that 474 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,680 Speaker 1: she had like squirrelled away, you know, and drew bead 475 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 1: or something and uh and the the the assailant didn't 476 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: realize that there was going a leech it attached to 477 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,680 Speaker 1: him and it was like, you know, some some sort 478 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:39,840 Speaker 1: of leech that's all over the island there and uh, 479 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: and so it fed and dropped off of him, and 480 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:46,840 Speaker 1: police were able to collect the leech and and collect 481 00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 1: the blood all right, and then get the DNA out 482 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,399 Speaker 1: of the blood and use that as DNA evidence against 483 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: the the guy who broke into the home. So that's 484 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:58,920 Speaker 1: pretty amazing, like like my whole thing, I guess with 485 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:01,720 Speaker 1: the with the leeches though, it's kind of like, you know, 486 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,560 Speaker 1: it's like if you've ever seen a movie or something 487 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,720 Speaker 1: where like a dude's a hacker, you know, he's like 488 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:08,879 Speaker 1: really learns how to hack a system, and then then 489 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: the authorities come in, They're like, we should throw you 490 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:12,440 Speaker 1: in prison, but we have one jet with this job 491 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: for you, and only you can fix it. You know. 492 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:16,280 Speaker 1: It's kind of like the leech is a parasite, so 493 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: it's learned how to hack the human system for its 494 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 1: own needs. But then we're thanking this analogy. This is 495 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:24,040 Speaker 1: one of my marks. This is this one actually maybe 496 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: makes sense. And but and then we've come around to 497 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:29,359 Speaker 1: him and said, hey, we've got a purpose. We've got 498 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:31,040 Speaker 1: a purpose for you. We got a job that only 499 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:33,680 Speaker 1: you can do. Because you've learned how to manipulate the system. 500 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:35,240 Speaker 1: We needs you to go in there and manipulate it 501 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 1: for us. So yeah, So I think the bottom line 502 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,720 Speaker 1: of that story is if you're afraid of being robbed 503 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:43,920 Speaker 1: or burglar eyes, just keep a lot of leeches around 504 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:47,400 Speaker 1: the house. Yeah, we'll catch perpetrator, no problem. Yeah, live 505 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:51,919 Speaker 1: live in the middle of a pond. It's possible. So 506 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:53,720 Speaker 1: I think that wraps it up for leeches this week. 507 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: What do you what do you think about oils with 508 00:25:55,119 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 1: your mouth? Oh? Yeah, let's see what we have here. Yeah, 509 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,959 Speaker 1: I've got I got some mail here from liam Um. 510 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:08,359 Speaker 1: He wrote in about our lefties Ruling the World podcast, 511 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 1: and so he had some to share. Um. He said, 512 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:16,679 Speaker 1: when I play racquetball, I find that I have a 513 00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:19,919 Speaker 1: huge advantage over others. I only ever play against right 514 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: handed people, and they get really aggravated when they find 515 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 1: that I don't have a back swing they do. I 516 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 1: play mostly with my right but instead of using a backswing, 517 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:29,159 Speaker 1: I switch hands to my left, so I never have 518 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 1: to use a backswing. I don't know what a backswing is, 519 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,679 Speaker 1: but I asson this makes sense to racket balls, to racketballers. 520 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: I wish I could do this with other sports as well, 521 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: but I can't swing a bat, throw a ball, or 522 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:42,200 Speaker 1: really kick with my left See. I can't do any 523 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 1: of those things either, So I don't know why I 524 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 1: grew up this way. Maybe mimicking people around me when 525 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: playing games. But I like to think of myself as 526 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:54,680 Speaker 1: a right handed lefty. So there you go. That's pretty interesting. Welliam, 527 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:56,800 Speaker 1: you can't see you, but I'm saluting you with my 528 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,960 Speaker 1: left hand right now. We also heard from Amy Claire 529 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 1: uh ambidextrous Amy Claire, who wanted to hear more about 530 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: being ambidextrous in our Left Handed podcast. Maybe we'll get 531 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 1: one we'll get around to that someday. Yeah, definitely. And uh. 532 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: And then also Paul wrote in and he says, uh, 533 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,400 Speaker 1: in response to your call out, I'm a right handed guitarist, 534 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,560 Speaker 1: because yeah, we were very interested in, like in playing 535 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,360 Speaker 1: right handed guitar. And I was also wondering, like how 536 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 1: the right handed guitarist, I mean left handed guitarist um 537 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: seduce women that they're trying to teach to play guitar. 538 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:31,560 Speaker 1: But anyway, he says, I'm a right handed guitarist, but 539 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:34,120 Speaker 1: I know people with left handed guitars. On our right 540 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: handed guitar, you strung with your right hand and do 541 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,680 Speaker 1: the opposite on the left handed guitar, which is always 542 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:42,720 Speaker 1: confused me. Wouldn't you think you would use your right 543 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,439 Speaker 1: hand for the more precise part of playing fingering on 544 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 1: the on the fret board, And yet I have, and 545 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:49,920 Speaker 1: there is no way I can do it the other 546 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: way with a left handed guitar. And he says, anyway, 547 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: I love the show. If you got a great work, 548 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 1: I would like to know what kind of music you're 549 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:59,200 Speaker 1: playing on a guitar. Paul, Yeah, that was a key 550 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:01,440 Speaker 1: detail you left, So you left us hanging. I heard 551 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,600 Speaker 1: left handed people at their own sinister secret form of music. 552 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,959 Speaker 1: Lefties do rule. Hey, so, if you guys want to 553 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,680 Speaker 1: tell us more about your left handedness or leeches, send 554 00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: us an email at science stuff at how stuff works 555 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: dot com, or hook up with us on Facebook. Facebook 556 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:21,919 Speaker 1: we're stuff in the Science Lab and on Twitter we 557 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: are lab stuff. So yeah, let us know if you 558 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:28,640 Speaker 1: have had any experiences with leeches attack attaching to you, 559 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:33,239 Speaker 1: either with your knowledge or again without your permission. All right, 560 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: thanks for listening, guys. For more on this and thousands 561 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,200 Speaker 1: of other topics, is that how stuff works dot com. 562 00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:49,200 Speaker 1: Want more how stuff works, check out our blogs on 563 00:28:49,240 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 1: the house stof works dot com home page.