Are there still places or situations where maggots are used to treat wounds?

I watched something years ago where specially bred maggots were used. Would these be ‘cleaner’ than regular maggots?

http://www.livescience.com/203-maggots-leeches-medicine.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy

Will have to look at those links later, am on my phone. Thanks cn

http://www.livescience.com/203-maggots-leeches-medicine.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy

Am reading a book about the Natural History Museum in London. It says this about maggot therapy (page 187). “For those who have developed allergies or tolerance to antibiotics, a treatment of maggot therapy is being applied for the first time since the First World War. The maggots are sealed in a box fixed over the wound, and all the patient feels is a tickling sensation as the little hygienists get to work. When all the bad flesh has been disposed of the box is unstrapped and the contents disposed of.”

The book then goes on to describe the success of eliminating screw worm larvae (maggots) from Libya.

Maggots of different species are used strip meat from the bones of museum specimens, and as bait for fishing.

I’m sure it helps not to be able to watch the maggots at work.

i’d guess if it’s possible for mum flies to carry various bacteria etc, then it’s possible for bacteria to be conveyed to offspring, so you breed and hatch ‘m in isolation.

mollwollfumble said:

Am reading a book about the Natural History Museum in London. It says this about maggot therapy (page 187). “For those who have developed allergies or tolerance to antibiotics, a treatment of maggot therapy is being applied for the first time since the First World War. The maggots are sealed in a box fixed over the wound, and all the patient feels is a tickling sensation as the little hygienists get to work. When all the bad flesh has been disposed of the box is unstrapped and the contents disposed of.”

The book then goes on to describe the success of eliminating screw worm larvae (maggots) from Libya.

Maggots of different species are used strip meat from the bones of museum specimens, and as bait for fishing.

Is it surface only wounds or internal ones as well, I recently saw it used on a tv show for internal wounds and wondered about the risk of them missing one when removing them.

and you don’t want tetanus from horse poo, staph or strep, or leprosy or somethin’

If you cannot treat the infection internally treat it externally

transition said:

i’d guess if it’s possible for mum flies to carry various bacteria etc, then it’s possible for bacteria to be conveyed to offspring, so you breed and hatch ‘m in isolation.

yes, you want them to be as clean and breed in proper conditions, stored and delivered via a procedure

could be a niche market for medical maggots

consult expert fly breeders and train some fly breeders

transition said:

and you don’t want tetanus from horse poo, staph or strep, or leprosy or somethin’

I should probably get another tetanus booster.

I recall a book about an aircraft survivor in the Amazon or there abouts.
After much privation she reached civilisation.
The doctors say that she only survived because the maggots ate the dead and rotting flesh of her wounds.
I wonder if she had bandaged the wounds and not let the flies in would she still have survived.

So should you bandage your wounds if you are in the scrub or let the flies into them.
What say youse?

Peak Warming Man said:

transition said:

and you don’t want tetanus from horse poo, staph or strep, or leprosy or somethin’

I should probably get another tetanus booster.

I recall a book about an aircraft survivor in the Amazon or there abouts.
After much privation she reached civilisation.
The doctors say that she only survived because the maggots ate the dead and rotting flesh of her wounds.
I wonder if she had bandaged the wounds and not let the flies in would she still have survived.

So should you bandage your wounds if you are in the scrub or let the flies into them.
What say youse?

or if you have no bandages, what could you use?

http://www.monarchlabs.com/mdt

Medical Maggots is trademarked.

Speedy said:

http://www.monarchlabs.com/mdt

Medical Maggots is trademarked.

see, good ideas get grabbed up before you know it

CrazyNeutrino said:

Speedy said:

http://www.monarchlabs.com/mdt

Medical Maggots is trademarked.

see, good ideas get grabbed up before you know it

but easy for someone could come up with another name

CrazyNeutrino said:

CrazyNeutrino said:

Speedy said:

http://www.monarchlabs.com/mdt

Medical Maggots is trademarked.

see, good ideas get grabbed up before you know it

but easy for someone could come up with another name

Macabre munchers?

you’d try to clean the wound and cover it

maggots eat dead flesh , you’d die of infection before maggots would help you

>maggots eat dead flesh

prefer maybe, perhaps there are different types, which of course there are, but not sure hungry ones i’ve seen only eat dead flesh.

wookiemeister said:

you’d try to clean the wound and cover it

maggots eat dead flesh , you’d die of infection before maggots would help you

maggots eat dead flesh

correct however the maggots can also eat fresh flesh (think flyblown sheep)

these maggots have been placed directly above the infection and are thus eating the infection towards uninfected flesh

the maggots are contained in a gauze bandage

CrazyNeutrino said:

wookiemeister said:

you’d try to clean the wound and cover it

maggots eat dead flesh , you’d die of infection before maggots would help you

maggots eat dead flesh

correct however the maggots can also eat fresh flesh (think flyblown sheep)

these maggots have been placed directly above the infection and are thus eating the infection towards uninfected flesh

the maggots are contained in a gauze bandage

There are different types of maggot species. Some eat only dead, some eat only living flesh. The (dead-only-flesh-eating) maggots are contained so that they:

a) properly finish off their job before wandering away and
b) don’t wander away when all the dead flesh is gone.

Peak Warming Man said:

transition said:

and you don’t want tetanus from horse poo, staph or strep, or leprosy or somethin’

I should probably get another tetanus booster.

I recall a book about an aircraft survivor in the Amazon or there abouts.
After much privation she reached civilisation.
The doctors say that she only survived because the maggots ate the dead and rotting flesh of her wounds.
I wonder if she had bandaged the wounds and not let the flies in would she still have survived.

So should you bandage your wounds if you are in the scrub or let the flies into them.
What say youse?

I did that once. Quite a nasty wound on my leg caused by a stick. Couldn’t keep the flies off. They cleaned it up and kept it clean for several days. No infection. But it did take quite a while to completely heal. Possibly longer than normal.

The Launceston General Hospital has maggot therapy

Michael V said:

Peak Warming Man said:

transition said:

and you don’t want tetanus from horse poo, staph or strep, or leprosy or somethin’

I should probably get another tetanus booster.

I recall a book about an aircraft survivor in the Amazon or there abouts.
After much privation she reached civilisation.
The doctors say that she only survived because the maggots ate the dead and rotting flesh of her wounds.
I wonder if she had bandaged the wounds and not let the flies in would she still have survived.

So should you bandage your wounds if you are in the scrub or let the flies into them.
What say youse?

I did that once. Quite a nasty wound on my leg caused by a stick. Couldn’t keep the flies off. They cleaned it up and kept it clean for several days. No infection. But it did take quite a while to completely heal. Possibly longer than normal.

Very probably, it is a medical procedure to debide scabbing which increases healing time but has other benefits like not healing over a cavity.

I carry Calendula tincture. It has never failed to heal the wound from the bottom up.

ps: there were no maggots in my wound. Flies only.

Michael V said:

ps: there were no maggots in my wound. Flies only.

They were stealing your bodily fluids. There was a bloke who fell down a shaft at White Cliffs in the old days. Luckily they used leather buckets back then. He landed on it and hung up for three days 60 foot down. He licked the flies off his wounds until someone noticed his situation.

I was in hospital about five years ago for surgery on my leg, and the bloke in the bed next to mine, who also had a leg injury (though his was a major open wound) was having maggot therapy. The maggots were placed on the wound, but there was no box to keep them in, and when their work was done they were removed with forceps.

AwesomeO said:

Michael V said:

Peak Warming Man said:

I should probably get another tetanus booster.

I recall a book about an aircraft survivor in the Amazon or there abouts.
After much privation she reached civilisation.
The doctors say that she only survived because the maggots ate the dead and rotting flesh of her wounds.
I wonder if she had bandaged the wounds and not let the flies in would she still have survived.

So should you bandage your wounds if you are in the scrub or let the flies into them.
What say youse?

I did that once. Quite a nasty wound on my leg caused by a stick. Couldn’t keep the flies off. They cleaned it up and kept it clean for several days. No infection. But it did take quite a while to completely heal. Possibly longer than normal.

Very probably, it is a medical procedure to debide scabbing which increases healing time but has other benefits like not healing over a cavity.

flies wouldn’t keep the end of a puncture wound clean

wookiemeister said:

AwesomeO said:

Michael V said:

I did that once. Quite a nasty wound on my leg caused by a stick. Couldn’t keep the flies off. They cleaned it up and kept it clean for several days. No infection. But it did take quite a while to completely heal. Possibly longer than normal.

Very probably, it is a medical procedure to debide scabbing which increases healing time but has other benefits like not healing over a cavity.

flies wouldn’t keep the end of a puncture wound clean

Again, Calendula tincture poured into puncture wounds soon after injury, works from the bottom of the wound up. I swear by it. maybe it is the residual alcohol, I don’t know but it does what it says in the herb books.

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

AwesomeO said:

Very probably, it is a medical procedure to debide scabbing which increases healing time but has other benefits like not healing over a cavity.

flies wouldn’t keep the end of a puncture wound clean

Again, Calendula tincture poured into puncture wounds soon after injury, works from the bottom of the wound up. I swear by it. maybe it is the residual alcohol, I don’t know but it does what it says in the herb books.

I had a grass stalk rammed into the joint on my thumb

I thought it was all out, after squeezing out pus for three days I realised there must still be something in there

I had to use a Stanley knife blade to slice open the thumb joint ( the inside crease) and gently explore what lies beneath

after cutting a bit deeper I discovered the head of the stalk buried in the thumb. I then gently tugged and teased the head a bit more then got some purchase on the head and pulled out a stalk about 13mm long

the infection then went away

wookiemeister said:

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

flies wouldn’t keep the end of a puncture wound clean

Again, Calendula tincture poured into puncture wounds soon after injury, works from the bottom of the wound up. I swear by it. maybe it is the residual alcohol, I don’t know but it does what it says in the herb books.

I had a grass stalk rammed into the joint on my thumb

I thought it was all out, after squeezing out pus for three days I realised there must still be something in there

I had to use a Stanley knife blade to slice open the thumb joint ( the inside crease) and gently explore what lies beneath

after cutting a bit deeper I discovered the head of the stalk buried in the thumb. I then gently tugged and teased the head a bit more then got some purchase on the head and pulled out a stalk about 13mm long

the infection then went away

It is difficult to remember but it was definitely a number of weeks. My memory says six but then that’s conjecture for most folks. She drove a palm frond spike into her big toe by wearing sandals to school. I got out what looked to be all of it at the time but weeks later she complained that she may have broken her toe. I had another look and got a half centimetre splinter out of just above the toe nail. She felt better immediately.

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

roughbarked said:

Again, Calendula tincture poured into puncture wounds soon after injury, works from the bottom of the wound up. I swear by it. maybe it is the residual alcohol, I don’t know but it does what it says in the herb books.

I had a grass stalk rammed into the joint on my thumb

I thought it was all out, after squeezing out pus for three days I realised there must still be something in there

I had to use a Stanley knife blade to slice open the thumb joint ( the inside crease) and gently explore what lies beneath

after cutting a bit deeper I discovered the head of the stalk buried in the thumb. I then gently tugged and teased the head a bit more then got some purchase on the head and pulled out a stalk about 13mm long

the infection then went away

It is difficult to remember but it was definitely a number of weeks. My memory says six but then that’s conjecture for most folks. She drove a palm frond spike into her big toe by wearing sandals to school. I got out what looked to be all of it at the time but weeks later she complained that she may have broken her toe. I had another look and got a half centimetre splinter out of just above the toe nail. She felt better immediately.

I’ve had a palm front hit the back of my knee , it drove a spike in that took about 5 months to come out , no infection thank god

wookiemeister said:

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

I had a grass stalk rammed into the joint on my thumb

I thought it was all out, after squeezing out pus for three days I realised there must still be something in there

I had to use a Stanley knife blade to slice open the thumb joint ( the inside crease) and gently explore what lies beneath

after cutting a bit deeper I discovered the head of the stalk buried in the thumb. I then gently tugged and teased the head a bit more then got some purchase on the head and pulled out a stalk about 13mm long

the infection then went away

It is difficult to remember but it was definitely a number of weeks. My memory says six but then that’s conjecture for most folks. She drove a palm frond spike into her big toe by wearing sandals to school. I got out what looked to be all of it at the time but weeks later she complained that she may have broken her toe. I had another look and got a half centimetre splinter out of just above the toe nail. She felt better immediately.

I’ve had a palm front hit the back of my knee , it drove a spike in that took about 5 months to come out , no infection thank god

I was wearing knee pads, unfortunately only foam ones. The tip of the spike never came out but the bastard was 10 cm long and the knee pad was only 19mm of foam. Took a course of anti-inflamatory to offset the fluid on knee. I did suffer from what was wart like for at least a couple of decades and I was constantly picking it off .

btm said:

I was in hospital about five years ago for surgery on my leg, and the bloke in the bed next to mine, who also had a leg injury (though his was a major open wound) was having maggot therapy. The maggots were placed on the wound, but there was no box to keep them in, and when their work was done they were removed with forceps.

I hope they were covered enough so people could eat their lunch and keep it down.

CrazyNeutrino said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy

Calling it “biosurgery” is a much nicer name than maggot therapy.