Socio-Economic Aspects of the Development of Hirudotherapy in Russia

Treatment with medical leeches, or hirudotherapy, is one of the most ancient examples of the use of the healing powers of wildlife in medical activities. In the modern world, hirudotherapy is an extremely relevant method of treating many diseases. On the one hand, this is due to the wide range of biotherapy methods, and on the other hand, the high risk of all kinds of complications from the use of synthetic drugs. Modern pharmacology, which has certainly achieved great success, often turns out to be powerless in the treatment of several diseases. Moreover, a whole series of diseases have appeared, which are called medicinal. Nevertheless, Russia is the only country in the world in which medical leeches are still used on par with medicinal treatments. Despite the rapid expansion of the pharmaceutical business, the tradition of using medical leeches remains in Russia, the effectiveness of which is confirmed by many long-term empirical studies of domestic and foreign scientists. The article presents the history of the development of hirudotherapy in the world and Russia, describes the social and economic reasons for the popularity of hirudotherapy, and also reveals the biological influence of hirudotherapy on the human body.