174 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



12. Medicinal Application of Leeches. — At a sitting of the Aca- 

 demy of Sciences, M. Dumeril reported on a memoir of MM. 

 Pelletier and Huzard, on leeches. The authors proposed to de- 

 termine, in the first place, the causes which in certain cases rendered 

 the wounds made by leeches very difficult to heal ; and in the 

 second to ascertain the circumstances in which particular leeches 

 will not attach themselves to the skin to which they are applied. 

 On the first point they are of the opinion of those who attribute 

 the difficulty to the temperament of the patient, or to the nature of 

 the disease, or to the imprudent custom which some persons have 

 of disturbing and tormenting the animal in all sorts of way, in 

 order to make it loose its hold, when it has been supposed to suck 

 too long. On the second point they have ascertained, that fre- 

 quently in commerce leeches are sent to the market in every re- 

 spect resembling in appearance those which are known as medicinal 

 leeches, but which, nevertheless, are entirely different in their in- 

 ternal organization. The false leeches have not the mouth fur- 

 nished with cutting jaws, nor can they penetrate the skin of ani- 

 mals ; their intestinal canal and stomach are differently formed.--' 

 Ann, de Chimie^ xxviii. 96. 



