y
Swedish leeches for $5.00 per hundred.[174]

Leeches were gathered in the spring of the year either by means of a pole
net, or, more primitively, by wading into the water and allowing the
leeches to fasten themselves onto the legs. Sometimes horses and cattle
were driven into the water to serve as bait for the leeches.[175] (Figure
19.)

[Illustration: FIGURE 19.--Lithograph published in London in 1814 showing
three women gathering leeches by a stream. (NMHT 320033.08; SI photo
76-7741.)]

Leeching, like other forms of bloodletting, enjoyed a revival in the early
nineteenth century, particularly in France, where the doctrines of heroic
medicine preached by Broussais[176] led to an increase of leech usage from
about 3 million in 1824 to 41.5 million in 1833.[177] Leechers, although
not as high in status as professional cuppers, practiced in many large
cities, and numerous tracts were written on the care and breeding of
leeches. "Leech farms" were unable to increase the leech supply to meet
the rising demand, and most leechers complained of the scarcity and great
expense of the little animals.[178]

Leeching and cupping each had their advocates. The major advantage of the
leech over the cup was that the leech could be employed on almost any part
of the anatomy, including around the eyes, in the mouth, the anus, and the
vagina. In fact, leeching the internal membranes enjoyed quite a vogue in
the early nineteenth century. Leeches were applied to the larynx and the
trachea for bronchitis and laryngitis and for relieving the cough of
phthisis. For inflammations of the conjunctiva (the membrane lining the
eyelids) they were applied to the nasal membrances of the adjacent
nostril, and for inflammations of the ear they were applied to the meatus
of the ear and behind the ear. The French popularized the practice of
leeching the anus to treat inflammations of the mucous membranes of the
bowel. To prevent leeches from getting lost in the body cavities, Jonathan
Osborne, a British physician, recommended in 1833 that a thread should be
passed through the leech's tail. In addition, he invented a device, which
he called a "polytome," specifically for introducing leeches into the
rectum.[179] In the mid-nineteenth century, special leech tubes were
widely sold for applying leeches to internal membranes.[180]

A second advantage of leeches over cupping was that leeches could extract
blood more readily. Not only was dexterity n