A veterinary approach to leeches

Royal College of Surgeons of England, London.

Leeches have had a long association with human beings and in recent years have proved valuable in biomedical research and surgery. Veterinary surgeons should be concerned with these creatures because of their role in causing disease, because of the part they may play in controlling the numbers of other invertebrates, because of their potential in veterinary therapy and because of the need to manage them properly in captivity.