#doctor leeches

[canisalbus]

How often does Machete have to go through bloodletting? I remember seeing you post about Machete's anemia and bloodletting at some point. this is for evil research.

I think that might vary depending on how healthy or sick he's feeling. If he's having a few good weeks or a good month he may not need to be bled at all. But whenever he's suffering from his usual headaches, fatique, sleeplessness, nosebleeds, heart palpitations or what have you, or he has caught some bug or is having particularly bad bouts of nervousness and melancholia he'd go through another regimen of bloodletting to have his humors rebalanced. I could see once every two weeks being a reasonable interval for regular maintenance, and more often than that if he's actively ill, up to several sessions per day in direst cases.

[cleowho]

“Humbug?”

Actually, Tom, that is quite clearly a Jelly Baby.

The Sun Makers - season 15 - 1977

[plaguedocboi]

I was about to make a post that said “aquatic plague doctor who uses lampreys instead of leeches” but then I remembered that leeches are also aquatic. Imagine the concept anyway.

[wormpharm]

A jolly horse leech crossed my path

[0ann3]

"Goldfishie! I handmade a Valentine's gift for you!"

"... A what-?"

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Quick doodle for todayyy!!!

[dr-skara]

Dr. Skara’s First Leech Experience!

(c.w: blood/blood being sucked)

Before:

After:

[honey-dont]

actually i think the funniest possible interpretation is that cesare genuinely believes doctor has a medical degree bc he just took the name at face value and doesn’t pay attention when anyone tries to correct him

[canisalbus]

What?? Why on Earth would they bloodlet Machete when he's already anemic?

Anemia wasn't discovered until 1852, so his physicians have no idea. He's just moody and achy and visibly unwell and bloodletting happens to be the cure-for-all fix at the time.

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say it was one of the most used treatments in western medicine from ancient Greece to 19th century (and even earlier than that in Egypt, for example). There weren't many ailments that a little bit of breathing a vein wouldn't alleviate, supposedly. This whole concept is based on humoral theory which is a fascinating cornerstone of medical history and also completely unfounded nonsense, look it up if you haven't, it's interesting. People believed that blood didn't circulate through the body, it was created, used up and then the bad blood would stagnate in the extremities. Having too much blood would disturb your humoral balance and create illnesses so removing it was beneficial to your wellbeing. Even completely healthy people would sometimes go get themselves bled a bit just to be sure.

You kind of need blood for your body to function so this treatment was completely pointless at best and life threatening at worst. If you were sick to begin with it would only weaken you further (and expose you to potential infections, which in the absence of antibiotics, wasn't great). The only viable use for it would have to be rare blood disorders where your body produces too many red blood cells, like polycythemia vera, essentially the polar opposite of anemia.

[cleowho]

“To err...”

The Sun Makers - season 15 - 1977

[plaguedocboi]

Ah, a fellow asexual doctor!. Do you have any leeches I could borrow?.

Alas, I only have a singular leech these days, but you may borrow her as long as you promise to return her soon

[askstrangeweird]

Another new character for the "Glitch Hunters" extended cast. This is Ford Talons, aka: The Bullet Reaver, he's an inventor and leech breeder, who discovered a new breed of leeches that will heal their host's wounds as the host causes harms to others, and turn blue as they synthesize harm into a special combustion fuel source.

He was designed with heavy inspiration from @gorjee-art and the world of Elysium they created, I wanted him to feel like he could fit into both of our worlds! (Charles would punch him good.)

[ofdirtandbones]

We saw leeches in the park for the first time !

[0ann3]

Another doodle with them!!!

[drbarty]

"Oh, I know exactly what to do for this one!"

[quekerahkerah]

I am almost done with Leech by Hiron Ennes and a) it is extremely good, and b) despite being one of the more graphic Gothic horror novels I've ever read, the premise IS kinda funny in a way - "Ohhhhh my god, a parasite!! A parasite that's trying to infect and control humanity!!!" My parasitic hive-mind physician in Christ, YOU are a parasite trying to infect and control humanity

[h-leech]

Me when I can get free food and cure my patients at the same time: