30 Of The Most Unexpected And Funny Things That Have Ever Happened In The Hospital

Still kind of gross though lol

@Dragan - as has been mentioned by others they only eat the "bad" tissue, plus iirc they also secrete a form of penicillin to "protect" their food from bacteria.

@Dragonluster - how is it "dangerous"? The maggots eat ONLY dead flesh, and when they're done, they fly away. It is a specific type of fly larvae, that's all.

@diane a - is correct though the labs, researchers, scientists, & V.A. Dr.'s prefer the term "larval therapy". They are often used for standard of care for diabetic wounds--a treatment called sharp debridement for V.A.'s who often suffer these foot wounds. By the way i read that "each maggot is quality tested" (via EureakAleart!)& come in small mesh bags. i always did have a smart a*s remark ... 'god's little gifts, maggots!'

Skink Dog, there are maggots that only eat dead tissue. These are the maggots that are used for medicinal purposes. It is possible for a fly to implant eggs into living tissue (this is known as myiasis; it is usually done by botflies, presumably with other species doing it as well), but infestations usually (definitely?) do not happen during treatment.

*cough* maggots don't only eat death flesh, they can also eat healthy. Hence fly strike on sheep and rabbits etc. Which btw I'd advise against googling images of as it's literally sheep and rabbits eaten alive by maggots.

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That sounds more dangerous than anything

"Natural" medicine that works is called medicine. Leeches are useful for restoring and maintaining blood circulation in reattached fingers and toes (etc) and (used very quickly) for draining the blood under the skin that causes bruising.