Before modern antibiotics had been invented, many alternative therapies were used to treat common medical conditions. During the time period of World War I,
The Start of Maggot Therapy
Maggot therapy came to use because doctors on the battlefield made an unusual connection. During World War I, soldiers would often lay on the battlefield for prolonged periods of time before they were medically treated. This would result in maggots infesting the wounds. The wounds that had the maggots were less likely to become infected than the wounds with out the maggots.
After this connection was made, battlefield doctors began placing sterile maggots onto soldier’s wounds that were extremely difficult to treat. Once the maggots were placed on the wounds, they began crawling around the wounds, cleaning as they moved. After the maggots had done their job, they would collect onto the bandages of the wounds. The bandages would simply be removed, and the maggots removed along with it.
The Results of Maggots
As a result of this discovery, maggot therapy began to save limbs and lives because of their apparent healing power. This alternative therapy works because maggots do not eat living tissue, they only eat dead tissue. Dead tissue is the breeding ground for bacteria and infection. Once the dead tissue was removed, the infection could no longer spread, allowing the wounds to properly heal. Maggots naturally secrete a substance that kills bacteria. This also allows the wounds to heal and grow new tissues.
This treatment worked so well, it was used for decades after the war. Once modern antibiotics were invented alternative therapies like Maggot therapy began to fade away. Rarely, modern day medicine will not completely treat a difficult wound or infection. This sometimes allows doctors to resort back to old medicine practices. When this occurs, Maggot Therapy is usually on the top of the list. Many people now and days are uncomfortable with experiencing maggots crawling around on their bodies. However, this treatment has shown through the decades to remain beneficial. To this day, maggots are still known to save limbs as well as save lives.
References:
“Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT)” 2008 Medicaledu.com
“Maggot Therapy Gains Popularity” By Robin Lloyd November 2008 LiveScience.com
Maggot Therapy was used to treat infections that would commonly be treated with antibiotics in modern times. Although this treatment was used for infection, it often did not completely treat the infection and death could result.
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