Man accidentally gets leech up his nose. It took 20 days to figure it out.

Throughout history, leeches have been a significant part of medical practices, dating back to ancient civilizations. They were prominently featured in Egyptian tomb murals and first documented by Nicander of Colophon, a Greek poet and physician, in the 2nd century BC. He described the leech as a valuable resource for extracting poison from bites. Ancient texts from Chinese and Sanskrit cultures echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the leech's medicinal properties. The Roman physician Galen endorsed the use of leeches as a means of balancing bodily humors—blood, phlegm, and bile—to treat various ailments, a concept initially proposed by Hippocrates. Doctors discovered that leeches provided a less painful method of bloodletting, thanks to their ability to release anesthetic substances and hirudin, a potent anticoagulant that keeps blood flowing. However, as medical knowledge advanced in the early 1900s, the use of leeches began to decline, along with bloodletting practices, which were often rooted in ineffective pseudoscience. Despite this decline, leeches have maintained a role in contemporary medicine, particularly in wound care and post-surgical procedures, where they help drain excess blood and restore circulation. Remarkably, leech saliva contains anti-inflammatory compounds that can aid in reducing swelling, ensuring that these ancient creatures still have a place in modern healthcare.