Hirudo

Leech: (such as Hirudo medicinalis) Medical use was first recorded in 200BC, while George Washington is said to have died when too much blood was drained during an illness.

Eye on Britain 2009

That researchers have been mistakenly using Hirudo verbana in their work for decades may call much of this research, including hundreds of scientific publications, into question and force a reconsideration of what scientists think they know about this widely studied species.

Archive 2007-04-01 2007

Until now, the leeches were assumed to be the species Hirudo medicinalis, but new research reveals they are actually a closely related but genetically distinct species, Hirudo verbana.

Archive 2007-04-01 2007

Their analysis clearly showed that the commercial and laboratory specimens were not Hirudo medicinalis, as they were labeled, but Hirudo verbana.

Archive 2007-04-01 2007

Since the time of Hippocrates and long before Carolus Linnaeus first described Hirudo medicinalis in 1758, medicinal leeches have been used in a variety of medical treatments -- some legitimate, many not.

Archive 2007-04-01 2007

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004, for use as a prescription medical device that helps restore blood flow following cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, Hirudo verbana has not been approved by the FDA and has no special conservation status. ...

Archive 2007-04-01 2007

Hirudo medicinalis is native to Europe, but its populations have been declining.

Leeches and frogs AYDIN 2007

Hirudo medicinalis is native to Europe, but its populations have been declining.

Archive 2007-03-01 AYDIN 2007

The medidicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis feeds on vertebrate, mainly mammalian, blood.

Archive 2007-03-01 AYDIN 2007

The medidicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis feeds on vertebrate, mainly mammalian, blood.

Leeches and frogs AYDIN 2007