For the first time the medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis has been bred in captivity at London zoo, part of a longer-term project to help this fascinating if unloved creature. Once widespread in ...

But leeches aren’t just useful at crime scenes. These creatures’ sanguineous appetites have also come in handy for scientists, who are hoping to use them to solve another mystery: the diversity of ...

Leeches could soon make a medical comeback after a study found they could relieve pain. Patients with osteoarthritis in their knees reported an amazing improvement 24 hours after the blood-suckers ...

In this short film Dr Michael Mosley interviews a surgeon who is pioneering the use of leeches in medical research. He allows a leech to attach to his arm and suck his blood, the mouth of the ...

ANKARA, November 19. /TASS/. Customs officials at Istanbul International Airport have confiscated 5,000 medicinal leeches from two Russian citizens after they could not produce the paperwork for ...