In the News

There is enthusiastic support from the public for replacement of the use of leeches in medicine. Most laypeople we talk with are shocked that leech therapy remains a part of medical practice in the 21st century.

Our work has received considerable national and international press coverage:

International Media

• "Leech: The Parasite Physician," The Hindu (India), December 4, 2003
• "Calling Doctors Leech and Maggot to the OR," Islam Online (UK), June 22, 2003
• "Sucking Blood the Easy Way," Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), March 23, 2002, p. 56
• "See You Later, Suckers," MX (Melbourne, Australia), February 13, 2002, p. 14
• "Researchers Develop Alternative to Slimy Bloodsuckers," Associated Press Worldstream, January 30, 2002
• "Quirks & Quarks," Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, January 26, 2002
• "Health-Flash," South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), January 21, 2002, p. 3
• "Sanguijuela Mecánica," Venezuela Innovadora (Venezuela), December 18, 2001
• "Technology That Really Sucks: Mechanical Leeches May Help Heal Wounds Without 'Ick' Factor," The Ottawa Citizen, December 15, 2001
• "No-slime Leech May Help Patients Heal," The New Zealand Herald, December 14, 2001
• Blutegel (Germany), December 14, 2001

National Media

• "Creepy Crawly Care: Legit Leeches," Science News, October 23, 2004, p. 266-267.
• "Out for Blood; Can Leeches End Your Knee Pain?", The Washington Post, November 4, 2003, p. F.01
• "Gross Medicine: Better than the Real Thing," Scholastic Science World, March 28, 2003, p. 11
• "Robo-Leech: A New Medical Superhero?," Health, June 2002, p. 30
• "21st Century Bloodsucker," Popular Science, May 2002, p. 36
• "Follow-Up: A Better Bloodsucker," Discover, March 2002, p. 16
• "Mechanical Leeches," Science Teacher, February 2002, p. 14
• "News Notes," The Scientist, January 21, 2002
• "Novel Device Takes Over Where Leeches Leave Off," Angiogenesis Weekly, January 11, 2002, p. 7
• "Device Simulates Functions of Medical Leeches," Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry, January 2002
• "With Machine in the Works, Leeches May Leave Medicine," Charleston Gazette, December 31, 2001, p. 1D
• "Best Thing About New Mechanical Leech Is... It's Not a Real Leech," The Oregonian, December 19, 2001, p. C13
• "Blood-Sucking Machine May Put Leeches Out of Work," National Geographic News, December 19, 2001
• "Mechanical Leech Sucks Blood Better," Scientific American, December 17, 2001
• "Booster Shots; The Leech's Mechanical Cousin," The Los Angeles Times, Dec 17, 2001
• "Trends & Innovations," Investor's Business Daily, December 13, 2001, p. 2
• "Bloody Suckers: Leech Therapy," NATURE, PBS
• "Cool Science Images," The Why? Files

State/Local Media

• "Machine may bloody well put leeches out of work; UW researchers design device to reduce 'gross' factor for patients," The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 13, 2001, p. 1A
• "UW Team Builds a Better Leech; Medical Mechanical Device Hailed," Capital Times (Madison, WI), December 13, 2001
• "Modern medicine goes medieval?", Wisconsin Week, December 12, 2001
• "Medieval Medicine Gets Modern," On Wisconsin, Spring 2002