Talk:Leech/Archive 1

Filesharing
Hmm... leeches and leeching also have a specific meaning when related to computer filesharing technologies. Not sure if there's a way to have multiple wiki entries for "leech". If not, then creating an entry for "leeching" and just mentioning a "leech" as someone who does it would probably be a good idea. I'm a wikipedia noob so I'm not sure how to go about handling this... didn't see anything in the FAQs about multiple entries. Any suggestions can be emailed through my profile.


 * (Above apparently written by User:Endlessnameless in Feb 2004)
 * A new page for online leeching would be useful, and I'd write a stub, but what name to use? "Leech (online)"? "Leech (internet)"? The newsgroup page points here, and the List of shock sites merely gives one definition of the word inline. There are probably other pages that would link to it. --Elijah 02:35, 2004 Dec 16 (UTC)


 * I think "Leech (filesharing)" would be best. I'd be glad to write the stub, but I don't know how to create an article, and most importantly, I don't know how to make one of those pages that will take a search for "leech" and give a person the choice between "Leech (annelid)" and "Leech (internet low-life)"  :P  -Kasreyn


 * Since one meaning of leech is much more common than the other, it would be better to keep this page here, and add a note at the top, something like this:


 * :This article is about the animal. For leeches in filesharing, see Leech (filesharing).


 * Pekinensis 23:02, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)


 * Leeching can be done over non-P2P protocols, so I'm creating the page Leech (computing). Thanx 68.39.174.91 21:07, 31 July 2005 (UTC)

Cleanup
I've cleaned up alot of the redundant sentences and the poor english, does anyone think this article is ready to have it's cleanup tag removed? Hypersonic (talk) 10:01, 2 April 2009 (UTC)

Deleted sentence
I deleted the sentence Leeches are so different from humans biologically. no duh - and use us for such a minor source of food - that it is basically impossible to catch any bloodborn disease from them. This doesn't make sense - mosquitoes, liver flukes, and, for that matter bacteria aren't exactly close relatives of humans either. Although it is true that leeches are rarely a disease vector the reason is incorrect. jimfbleak 05:32, 2 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Nonsense
" It has been known to suck all the blood out of its host." WTF, dipshits... correcting now...

-- —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.180.130.108 (talk) 09:10, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

"Leeches are known to feast on the blood of young teenage virgins."

What? Delete unless referenced.. and leeches are definitively not canines, not even vertebrates!

Hello, since I was once bitten by leech let me just say that the statement in article that leech bites are "painless" is quite far from truth. To tell you honestly, it hurts like hell - specially after you remove it from your skin

You forget, that it gives a lot of different kind of leeches. For medicine you use Hirudo medicinalis and Hirido officinalis. --Fackel 16:31, 4 June 2006 (UTC)


 * depends on the species. Some of the large SE asian species can hurt, but I was bitten several time in Sri Lanka and didn't know till I noticed my socks were soaked in blood. jimfbleak 05:31, 19 Jun 2005 (UTC)


 * Also I get substantial reaction to leaches both in Australia and overseas, which can take days to heal. "Painless" seems not correct.

"An externally attached leech will detach and fall off on its own when it is satiated on blood, usually in about 20 minutes (but will stay there for as long as it can)"

This is self-contradictory. Does it fall off on its own, or stay on as long as it can? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.97.246.209 (talk) 12:57, 26 June 2010 (UTC)

Leech removal
While salt is mentioned in the article, its not actually mentioned as an effective removal method. From personal experience, while not the best way of removing leeches, it is a good way of removing them. Heated objects are also good, but you have the risk of also burning the victim, certainly with an open flame. What I have found to be very effective is Insect Repellent, specifically the brand Aeroguard. If rubbed straight onto a leech, not only will the leech fall off, it will sometimes even curl up and die quite quickly, a feat which is usually quite hard to achieve. Mabey this should be added in somewhere?


 * It does state salt and burning as effective methods of removal. But warns that these methods can cause the leech to convulse and regurgitate back into the wound.IanUK 13:03, 25 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Also Insect Repellent next to an open wound may not be the best course of action.--70.30.183.84 19:38, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

This section needs to be edited substantially - see WP:NOT (Point 4)


 * I just rewrote the removal section, with several references. Fire, salt, and various chemicals are very commonly known and suggested; they work, and fast. But several reputable sources say these techniques can cause the leech to vomit into the wound, increasing the health risk. No parasites in leeches? suggests very minor risks in North American leeches in areas with few human/mammalian hosts. However, I think the sources cited do show the salt/fire/etc. techniques are medically riskier, very substantially in some areas (e.g. where HIV carriers are common) -Agyle 05:43, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Most medical experts suggest to let the leech finish. The amount of blood it takes is unsubstantial, and pulling it off early can cause increased bleeding as they use anti-coagulants while they're feeding to increase the blood flow from the wound. When the leech finishes however, it seals off the area. Also tampering with it can cause it to accidentally vomit up [someone else's] blood back into your blood stream.

Tentaclish Things
When I was in the Adirondacks i saw (and was bitten by) dozens of leeches, and i noticed that they have these tentacle-type things on their underside. When you smashed it up with a canoe paddle, the little things broke off and [i]seemed[/i] to become new leeches, although my intuition says this is impossible. Anyone know about this? Bangadrian 14:32, 30 March 2006 (UTC)
 * In the article it says that they nature thier young and also that some leeches prey on other leaches. Wolfmankurd 19:52, 29 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Maybe they were baby leeches? I once saw on a nature video that the parent leech carries its young by letting them attach to its underside. When you smashed the parent, the babies probably let go to escape. -Fox
 * Maybe Glossiphoniidae, but these should not normally bite humans. Dysmorodrepanis (talk) 21:11, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Are you really suposed to put salt on leeches when they bite you?

carnivorous
The article says that leechs are carnivorous but I think sanguivorous is more correct.


 * On what basis? Yes, they are called Leeches, but that appears to be a reference to their general appearance (long and thin), and not to their consumption of blood.  In the games, they behave far more like piranhas than leeches, surrounding the player and apparently biting them, rather than simply attaching to the player and drinking their blood.  However, I would be interested to know if "leeches" is their official in-game name, or something from the community (I suspect the latter).  Anyway, I reckon stick with carnivorous.  Cheers, --Plumbago 12:26, 21 July 2006 (UTC)


 * I don't understand the above reply. Are you suggesting that leeches devour a host like a shoal of pirahna?!  Any chance of a reference to that?!  IanUK 13:05, 25 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Embarrassingly enough, I have two entries for leeches in my watchlist. One here, another for an enemy in the computer game Half-Life.  Guess which one I thought I was writing about when I wrote the above.  ;-)  Duh.  --Plumbago 13:32, 25 August 2006 (UTC)


 * LOL, ok, I guess I'll let you off!IanUK 10:49, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Umm... I am still relatively new to this, therefore I do not know how to start my own topic. I actually have a question. How much blood can one leech consume in one feeding? Thanks, Jason Keyes 14:58, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

For a real LOL, just bear in mind that some species of leeches are in fact carnivorous; they can catch and swallow worms, tadpoles etc rather than sucking blood. Dunno offhand whether any of them eat leeches... Hirudinivorous? JonRichfield (talk) 17:56, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

Eating leeches
does any one know if you can eat leeches. I was camping and came across them, i made a small fire and throw them in they made a loud pop when roasted.

IanUK 13:06, 25 August 2006 (UTC) Why did you throw them on a fire if you weren't going to try them?!

Cause it's cool to hear them pop!


 * No parasites in leeches? (non-authoritative) has the following: "A final note: many arynchobdellids serve as hosts for larval stages of digenea. This may be incidental in some cases by cercaria penetrating anything soft enough.  On the other hand, they are important in the life cycles of some trematodes of birds that eat leeches.  As such, I wouldn't go out and eat leeches raw.   Cook them first.  They end up tasting a little too 'organic' if you don't cook them well.  Especially those that feed on detritus (e.g., Haemopis spp. and even Macrobdella spp.). Overall, I'd say garlic butter will enhance the taste."  An authoritative source would make a nice addition to the article. -Agyle 05:50, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

contradiction

 * There is not much that can be done to prevent leech bites in the outdoors. There is little evidence in favor of any leech-repellant (unlike the strong evidence in favour of DEET against biting insects). The most effective step is not to expose bare skin, preferably by wearing leech socks.

contradicts


 * There are several ways in which people inhabiting leech-infested areas avoid leech bites. The most common is to rub salt on to the exposed skin areas, such as hands and feet. Another involves the use of baking soda. In addition to these home remedies, several insect sprays also prevent leech bites. But these remedies can cause harmful allergic reactions in some people.

(131.130.121.106 23:20, 4 September 2006 (UTC))

merge Medicinal leech to Leech
This would make a nice section to the Leech article. Good to have all our leech material on one page and we could make this a redirect. Cheers, :) Dlohcierekim  01:24, 22 November 2006 (UTC)
 * I would vote against that. There are many leeches other than the medicinal leech.  I would rather see much of the information about medicinal leeches removed from this article and put in the medicinal leech article. -- WormRunner 02:07, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

how to section remove
I think that would be a litle overly rigorous. I have an encyclopedia at home with a "how to remove" leechs section in the lech article. Cheers, :) Dlohcierekim  01:28, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Medical advice
I've removed the following bit of medical advice from the article, as it is written in inappropriate tone for an encyclopedia. Hopefully, this can be rewritten into a description instead of instruction and merged back into the article, Zocky | picture popups 15:51, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

--Basic Instructions for Proper Removal and Treatment--
 * 1) Do not attempt to crush or burn the leech. Do not squeeze the leech and attempt to pull it off.
 * 2) Find the oral sucker. This is the sucker at the small end of the leech.
 * 3) Place your fingernail next to the sucker. Push towards the bite.  Attempt to push the sucker to the side, away from the skin.
 * 4) Once the oral sucker is detached, quickly detach the sucker at the other end of the leech (the large end of the leech). This can be done by flicking the leech or by pushing the underside the leech and up against the sucker.
 * 5) Clean the wound to prevent infection, to remove detached sucker parts, and to remove the anticoagulant that the leech has secreted.
 * 6) The wound may bleed for several hours but then should begin to heal normally.
 * 7) Keep the wound clean and dry.
 * 8) Allergic reactions can occur to leech bites. If there are signs of a severe reaction, seek medical help.
 * 9) Monitor the wound for infection, and contact a doctor if the wound becomes infected.

Refs behind paywall
The Times article ref 24 is now behind a paywall and unaccessible. At least from where I am in Australia Jazzvibes (talk) 23:39, 8 July 2012 (UTC) Put in a request at the bottom of WikiProject Resource Exchange/Resource Request, and another user will obtain access for you.--Mr Fink (talk) 00:05, 9 July 2012 (UTC)

Teenage usage
Just so nobody says something about this on the page, there are Above the Influence commercials about "S.L.O.M.ming" (Sticking Leeches On Myself). These are not meant literally. SLOMming is a metaphor for giving into peer pressure and making bad choices.

changes
I took out the line about Dawn dish soap working very well to prevent leeches (it's contradicted in the above sentence by saying that no home remedies are proven effective, and also it's not cited, nor does it make CS that only dawn would work) - did add "liquid dish soap" to the list of possible home remedies. I also removed a bit from the lemony snicket piece that read "or cannibalistic, if you must" since a cannibalistic leech would be a leech that eats other leeches, not one that preys on humans. CredoFromStart 13:49, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

some one put it back in so im taking it out again 216.154.23.205 23:13, 17 April 2007 (UTC)216.154.23.205

REPEATED TEXT
the "Taxonomy" and "origin" sections contain 99% identical text. 124.178.51.135 14:01, 18 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Well-spotted. I've tried to fix this.  Cheers, --Plumbago 14:17, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

Please note: Medicinal use of Leeches mentioned in Indian Traditional medicine i.e. Ayurveda. Its medicinal use is approved by US FDA.

Does anyone recognise this.
I presume it's a leech, it certainly moved like one, though I've never seen one coloured like this. Does anyone have any idea what species it is? I have a couple of other photos of it I can upload if any one wants. ornis ( t ) 03:46, 8 September 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, it's a leech. mezzaninelounge (talk) 17:44, 29 June 2011 (UTC)
 * Where's it from? From its colorful markings, I almost want to say it's a tiger leech.--Mr Fink (talk) 19:18, 29 June 2011 (UTC)
 * I dunno. Based on the light colored belly and yellow stripe, it looks like a Hirudo. Not medicinalis. Maybe Verbana. Or maybe not. I'm not too sure. mezzaninelounge (talk) 21:51, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

Parental care
Some species of leech will nurture their young, providing food, transport, and protection, which is unusual behavior in an invertebrate.

Parental care isn't really unusual behavior in invertebrates. It's found in many insects, spiders, and others. Maybe it's unusual for an annelid, but someone should check on this.


 * I thought the same thing too. fixing. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dougcard (talk • contribs) 05:00, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

Article rating
This article was given a "B" rating within the scope of WikiProject Animals. The article needs a considerable increase in inline citations and external references before it meets an the criteria for A quality.  Justin  chat 04:55, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Do leaches give live birth or do they lay eggs? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.17.217.184 (talk) 13:30, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Antiseptic?
Is it true that leeches release antiseptic when they bite? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Catsarethefuture (talk • contribs) 03:11, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * They do release an anticoagulant. Perhaps a confusion? OTOH, I don't think leech bites become infected often, so there might be something to it. Dysmorodrepanis (talk) 05:02, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

blood eating
The second paragraph of the article says "most leeches do not feed on blood," but the first sentence of the leech bites section states "all species of leeches feed on blood." Which is correct?

--Oneac (talk) 22:49, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

Modern medical use
PBS just had a program on leeches used as a surgery tool to prevent blood clot. Leech would leech blood, the circulation would prevent clotting, thus temporarily preventing the clot. Not only that, the leech would also introduce a pathogen that prevents clotting. --Voidvector (talk) 01:38, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

death by leech
has anyone ever died from being eaten by a leech? --80.44.254.178 (talk) 19:56, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

Eaten by a leech?

I belive they mean bieng bitten by so many leeches that the don't have enough blood and die, and probably not, unless the organism passed out from loss of blood and drowned in the water, seeing as how leeches are mostly found in or around water, that seems the most likely way for a leech to "kill" and organism, no idea if a leach (leech) bite has ever led to a human death though

Salmonbottles (talk) 03:56, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Prevention
+ref:
 * Paliyar tribal people apply crushed fruits of Solanum erianthum (Nightshade) topically on their legs, while entering into forest to protect from leech-bite. Marcus (talk) 02:10, 10 December 2008 (UTC)

Home remedies
"There are many home remedies to help prevent leech bites. Many people have a great deal of faith in these methods, but none of them has been proven effective.[citation needed]"

Que? Wouldn't it be the case that a citation would be needed to provide some veracity for any home remedies that were claimed? Bellthorpe (talk) 12:56, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

leeches don't have eyes. if a leech bites you bring peper or salt with you and sprinkilit on you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.249.187.109 (talk) 18:21, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Another contradiction
In the introduction, the article states that "not all leeches feed on blood", while later it says that "all species of leeches feed on blood". This appears to be a contradiction, unless by "not all leeches" it means that some leeches of each species feed on blood while others of the species do not. --UberScienceNerd Talk Contributions 03:01, 22 June 2009 (UTC)


 * It's a contradiction. It will be fixed. --

Lifespan
How long do leeches typically live? — Loadmaster (talk) 02:50, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Environment
There has been nothing added about environment, so I suggest this article is incomplete. Fast moving water? Slow moving water? Ponds vs. creeks vs. rivers? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.0.55.75 (talk) 16:05, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

Jaws and weasel words
I made no change, but I disagree with the removal of "so-called" from the "jaw description. They are not homolologous with any jaws I can think of elsewhere. If I remember I shall edit the article to clarify the point, unless someone beats me to it. JonRichfield (talk) 19:28, 20 October 2013 (UTC)

Merge
I suggest that this page is merged with Leech Bite. Let me know if you don't agree! Havrer0 (talk) 10:14, 25 September 2014 (UTC)
 * Absolutely. Will perform merge myself.  KDS4444 (talk) 12:21, 12 December 2016 (UTC)

Leeches: both hemophagous, and not hemophagous
From the article:

"... they are predominantly blood suckers that feed on blood from vertebrate and invertebrate animals."

Also: "Most leech species prey on small invertebrates, which they eat whole. To feed on their hosts, leeches use their anterior suckers to connect to hosts for feeding. Once attached, leeches use a combination of mucus and suction to stay attached and secrete an anticoagulant enzyme, hirudin, into the hosts' blood streams. Only certain species of leeches feed on blood, and not all species can even bite; 90% of them feed solely on decomposing bodies and open wounds of amphibians, reptiles, waterfowl, fish, and mammals."

So they are predominantly blood suckers, but 90% of them don't suck blood. Um, no. Also note that it is not correct to speak of "blood" for most invertebrates. IAmNitpicking (talk) 13:45, 23 September 2015 (UTC)
 * The term for invertebrates' bodily fluids is "hemolymph"? Either way, I modified the article a bit to reflect this.  The feeding section is still jumbled, and ought to be organized better, perhaps separate paragraphs/subsections for different feeding types?--Mr Fink (talk) 14:38, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Leech. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20070825174336/http://www.worstcasescenarios.com:80/scenario.htm?scenarioid=22 to http://www.worstcasescenarios.com/scenario.htm?scenarioid=22

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 16:20, 24 January 2016 (UTC)

Concerning haematophagy
I keep reverting your placement of Leech into category:Haemophagy because, out of all the thousands of leech species, only a small percentage of them feed on blood, or the equivalent. If we use your swan analogy, it would like trying to put Swan into category:black plumage because the Australian and Black-necked Swans have black plumage, even though the rest of them do not. Wouldn't it be more sensible to simply find and place those articles about haemophagous leeches into category:Haemophagy, rather than place the main article into a category that does not apply to most leeches?--Mr Fink (talk) 18:38, 3 March 2017 (UTC)


 * But the very lede mentions/explains your very point, since the point is being made here at this level the category is applicable at this level.


 * Also, I am uncertain the generic (majority ?) reader, as opposed to a professional or more astute reader, is probably NOT looking for either a particular leech or by species/subspecies name.


 * Also, to itemize all those who are hematophagous would imply, for completeness or clarity's sake, having to specify all of those who are NOT-hematophagous, as well as any that may be hematophagous opportunists and fallinig into both categories
 * &mdash;perhaps an infeasable onus upon tracking and maintaining just the hematophagous, never mind ALL, articles that are not correctly categorized, or just not even categorized. WurmWoode  T   19:17, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Leech. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110910161114/http://www.biopharm-leeches.com/pdf/bioandbehav.pdf to http://www.biopharm-leeches.com/pdf/bioandbehav.pdf
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20110831135257/http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/29031-discover-magazine-leeches-in-reconstructive-surgery-video.htm to http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/29031-discover-magazine-leeches-in-reconstructive-surgery-video.htm

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 21:07, 19 December 2017 (UTC)

Towards FAC
and cite number 45 seems to be a dead end. LittleJerry (talk) 17:58, 14 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Found it on http://web.archive.org (https://web.archive.org/web/20160301000000*/http://leeches-medicinalis.com/medical-applications/applications-in-general-medicine/), it's a very useful tool and I recommend it, but I've decided to replace the source anyway. Chiswick Chap (talk) 18:17, 14 April 2020 (UTC)
 * I don't really see any source formatting problems. At least not any that were a problem for me for wolf. I think we can nominate after the copyedit, or we could ask for a peer review. can review this better them me. LittleJerry (talk) 01:57, 15 April 2020 (UTC)
 * That's very encouraging. I guess the other thing we really ought to do is think carefully if the article is now "comprehensive" rather than (per GA) "covering (just) the main points", i.e. are there little details and exceptions we haven't mentioned? Chiswick Chap (talk) 08:37, 15 April 2020 (UTC)
 * I will take a look, but I got diverted by Branchiobdellida, an order with an article consisting of 14 words. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 13:22, 15 April 2020 (UTC)
 * It's looking much better already! Chiswick Chap (talk) 13:44, 15 April 2020 (UTC)
 * It looks comprehensive to me, though I wonder if this deserves a mention. LittleJerry (talk) 21:12, 15 April 2020 (UTC)
 * I tracked down the original paper that the blog was talking about, and have used it. Chiswick Chap (talk) 08:40, 16 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Okay, I think for now we can just wait for the copyedit. LittleJerry (talk) 18:02, 16 April 2020 (UTC)

and, I would wait one more week for the copyedit and if nothing, go ahead with FAC. LittleJerry (talk) 01:08, 28 April 2020 (UTC)
 * All right, not quite clear why it should take so long really. Chiswick Chap (talk) 08:06, 28 April 2020 (UTC)


 * The length of time it takes for a GOCE request to be copy edited depends on the number of members actively working through the Request list and the length of the articles. Two to three weeks seems to be about the average wait. We do our best work through each as article carefully (and efficiently) as we can. Cheers - Twofingered Typist (talk) 20:52, 1 May 2020 (UTC) (GOCE Coordinator)

, nominate whenever you're ready. LittleJerry (talk) 23:29, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Sounds as if waiting a bit longer might be justified. Chiswick Chap (talk) 07:22, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * , just to clarify, Twofingered Typist actually did the copyedit. See here. LittleJerry (talk) 14:51, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * OK then please nom. Chiswick Chap (talk) 15:01, 2 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I think you or can better introduce the subject. LittleJerry (talk) 22:12, 2 May 2020 (UTC)