Dictionary

medicinal leech

noun

Definition of MEDICINAL LEECH

:  a large European freshwater leech (Hirudo medicinalis) that is a source of hirudin, is sometimes used to drain blood (as from newly grafted tissue), and was formerly used to bleed patients thought to have excess blood
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First Known Use of MEDICINAL LEECH

1804
Medical Dictionary

medicinal leech

noun

Medical Definition of MEDICINAL LEECH

:  a large European freshwater leech of the genus Hirudo (H. medicinalis) that is a source of hirudin, is now sometimes used to drain blood (as from a hematoma), and was formerly used to bleed patients thought to have excess blood

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