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leech |
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leech (lēch) any of the annelids of the class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis; some species are bloodsuckers. Leeches have been used for drawing blood.
leech [lēch] any of the annelids of the class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis; some species are bloodsuckers. Leeches were used extensively to treat various disorders and are still used occasionally to reduce postsurgical venous congestion, as in tissue flaps, grafts, or transplants.
leech 1. any of the annelids of the class Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis; some species are bloodsuckers, and used for drawing blood. 2. one of the granular bodies in swamp cancer. Called also grains. equine leech
see swamp cancer. leech noun A segmented annelid of fresh water or soil in the tropics and subtropics; classic medicinal leech is Hirudo medicinalis, others include Poecilobdella, Dinobdella, Limnatis, Haemadipsa, Macrobdella
Medical uses Remove excess blood from operative field; stimulate capillary ingrowth in reimplanted, traumatically amputated extremities and in plastic surgery; extract hirudin, a potent anticoagulant, and undelineated substances in leech saliva that
inhibit tumor spread. See Hirudin, Limnatis nilotica verbTo treat with a leech, to let blood. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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