Feeding the fish

The revival of the use of living organisms to help in treating illnesses has grabbed the attention of the media recently. Reports of the use of leeches in plastic surgery and maggots in dermatology raise the question of which other animals may be of benefit, a concept some call “biotherapy.” While there are promising studies of the use of maggots to help the healing of necrotic and infected wounds, those wounds with high moisture content defy even the larvae. Rumours of healing fish had reached Professor John Church, chairman of the International Biotherapy Society. Perhaps organisms which live in an aquatic environment could help to heal “wet …