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The Terran leech is a leech native to Earth. It consumes hemoglobin present in the blood of many other Earth organisms. (TNG: "Phantasms")

Leeches were used as part of primitive medicine on Earth, and are often referred to when disparaging apparently outdated medical techniques. In more recent years leeches have made a comeback into modern medicine. Their salavia has extraordinary anti-coagulating proporties and they are used to increase bloodflow to reattached limbs. In 2374, the EMH Mark II aboard the USS Prometheus remarked to the Doctor that medical science had evolved beyond "scalpels or leeches" when the latter failed to recognize a thrombic modulator. (VOY: "Message in a Bottle")

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