In a recent study, Dr. David Rogers of Oxford University in England has found a new way of healing wounds, with maggots. Dr. Rogers' method of healing wounds is known as maggot therapy. Maggots are known to devour dead tissue and bacteria in a wound, but avoid healthy skin and muscle. Doctors say this method of maggot therapy may prove to be better than medicine.
Dr. John Church, an orthopedic surgeon states that this method is insanely cost-effective and low-tech. This method does not require any special instruments. Dr. Rogers and fellow entomologists plan to launch maggot therapy in Oxford; this method is already up and running in one U.S. hospital. There appears to be no side effects, and their biggest problem so far is getting past the "gross" factor. In the Oxford lab, there is a family of fertile flies, which are capable of producing hundreds of thousands of offspring in a few weeks. Dr. Embden, an entomologist on the team says that there are no problems producing enough, the only problem is overproduction. Dr. Church has successfully treated one patient and states that wounds infested with maggots heal faster than those without them. Dr. Ronald Sherman a doctor at the University of California at Irvine, started treating patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach in 1990. Dr. Sherman points out that the bugs could heal wounds that defy medicine. Patients however are only treated with maggots after medical strategies fail. The maggots shrunk wounds by about 20 to 25 percent a week. All of Dr. Sherman's patients were completely healed in about a month.
Due to the filthy habits of the flies, the introduction of maggots into a wound can prove hazardous. The maggots may very possibly introduce bacteria into the wound, causing additional complications. Maggots will also invade live, healthy tissue when all of the dead tissue supply has expired. However, despite all the hazards and possible complications, maggot therapy is very useful and a good alternative when a wound becomes severely infected and ordinary medicine doesn't work.
To apply the maggot therapy, the open wound must first be exposed to circulating flies. The flies must only lay their eggs on the skin surface along the edge of the wound, not directly in the wound. After the eggs have been laid, the wound should be covered. Maggots should be seen within two days on infestation. Only 50-100 maggots should be allowed to remain in the wound. Maggot activity should be monitored daily and the wound should be cleansed of any fluid produced by the maggots. Once all dead tissue has been removed and before the maggots have become established in healthy tissue, all maggots should be removed and the wound should be cleansed thoroughly. Once all maggots are removed, the wound should be bandaged and allowed to heal normally.
