| Author | Clemens Grosser, Detlev Koeppen, Uwe Jueg |
| Language | German |
| ISBN | 9783894324032 |
| Publisher | Neue Brehm Bücherei |
| Pages | 424 |
| Format | 14,5 x 20,5 cm |
| Binding | Paperback |
| Images | 266 Colour photos, 247 b/w illustrations |
| Year Published | 2024 |
The previous German work on leeches, Der Medizinische Blutegel und seine Verwandten, written by Konrad Herter in 1968, was based on the knowledge available in the 1930s. This new version Egel und Blutegel shows the current state of knowledge and the sometimes serious changes in leech research over the last 80 years. The sections on systematics and taxonomy as well as zoogeography and ecology have been extensively revised. A new key for identifying German freshwater leeches is included.
The focus of the work is on the biology of German and European leech species. An overview also presents leeches from other continents, and interesting aspects of these species are discussed using examples. The more than 800 known leech species belonging to the annelids live mainly in freshwater, 150 species in seas and oceans, and some even live terrestrially. All leeches feed on animal matter. Some swallow living or dead animals whole, but most suck body fluids, penetrating the skin with their proboscis or saw-toothed jaws.
The chapter on the medical use of leeches has been thoroughly revised. Used in medicine for thousands of years, their use in Europe developed from the Middle Ages to a medical fashion in the 19th century. Modern leech therapy is based on scientific findings on the healing substances for reducing pain, inhibiting inflammation and promoting circulation.
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