Richard Collins: Leeches suck — which can be handy at times
The leech, related to the earthworm, has a sucker at its rear end with which it propels itself through water and locks onto a host. The proboscis, up front, has sharp tooth-like appendages, which seek out exposed flesh and make an incision. Leech saliva contains anaesthetics, anticoagulants and substances to increase blood-flow.
We are the things that others fear — Anne Rice,
Napoleon was ‘a martyr to the piles’. Swollen veins in his 'back-passage' may have denied him victory at Waterloo 210 years ago this month. Martyn Linnie, in his , just published, devotes a chapter to the great emperor’s anal challenge... and the creepy-crawlies which supported him on the fateful day.
