Bugs as Drugs | LeechFest Ep 38

In this episode we discuss the use of bugs (insects, arthropods, and the like) in medicine and medical research. Specifically, Mia serves us an overview of historical medical treatments using insect pulps and mashes, and Salem covers the modern use of bugs in medicine and research. As you may have heard, maggots are huge in wound treatment, but perhaps more surprisingly, helminths and spiders are also of interest to medical professionals/researchers. We also briefly mention leeches, though we don't spend too much time on them since we've already talked about their properties in the Organ Transplantation episode, so go listen to that! And remember: thank a bug today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Om Podcasten

Hey! We're Salem (Raluca in the early episodes) and Mia, and we're a medical scientist and a historian who put their brains together to create this medical history podcast! We make content about anything we find interesting that is at the intersection between medicine/ medical science and history, with a queer and/ or social justice flair.Support the show: patreon.com/LeechFestPodcast