I just want to bring you along for a reprise of the journey of how I read
’s
, because man was it fun for my brain
Dokukin tried hirudotherapy at the behest of his mother back in Russia, where it remains common practice
why?
According to Despite the ‘Yuck Factor,’ Leeches Are Big in Russian Medicine (NYTimes) - often the venom, a natural anticoagulant, is used “as a low-cost substitute for blood thinners like warfarin… Left to pay out of pocket at clinics or commercial drugstores, patients gravitate toward cheaper options, like leeches.”
And yeah, obviously USAmericans have problems with expensive healthcare too, but “Medicinal leeches cost 90 cents each in Russia, compared with $15.50 for leeches sold by Leeches USA, a medicinal leech supplier based in Westbury, N.Y.”
Despite leeches’ having gained FDA approval as a medical instrument in 2004, a frustrating lack of clinical evidence persists.
what other living creatures has the FDA approved as medical devices? Maggots, for sure, but are there others?
Regulatory responsibility for both medical maggots and medicinal leeches was transferred to the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (the Center within the FDA that regulates biological products for human use under applicable federal laws) on December 30, 2024. Which kinda implies that those were the only living creatures regulated elsewhere by the FDA at the time.
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