Maggot Therapy 1929 – Treatment with Mosquito Larvae

Imagine visiting a friend whose wound is struggling to heal. The wound is full of fly larvae – tiny creatures regarded by doctors as natural surgeons with extraordinary healing abilities. Maggot therapy (MT) is the world you have entered.

American surgeon William Baer was one of the first American doctors to study the deliberate application of larvae for wound healing carefully. During World War I, Baer examined a soldier with many severe wounds. When the soldier's clothes were brought to the hospital, he saw thousands of fly larvae in the wounds. Surprisingly, the soldier had no fever, and the wounds contained healthy pink tissue. These experiences led Baer, in 1929, to apply larvae to the tissues of patients with treatment-resistant chronic osteomyelitis (bone infection). The larvae worked small miracles. Baer observed rapid removal of dead, damaged or infected tissue, a reduction in disease-causing organisms and odour, and faster healing. In fact, fly larvae have been observed to promote wound healing since ancient times. During the American Civil War, Dr John Zacharias said: "Fly larvae... cleaned a wound in a day far better than any substance we had... I am certain that I saved many lives through their use."

Today, MT is an approved method for removing necrotic (dead) wound tissue. It is used especially in treating chronic infected wounds such as non-healing ulcers, burns and bone inflammation. 

Fly larvae suitable for maggot therapy are usually found in the Calliphoridae family. Larvae are selected for their ability to feed only on dead tissue without harming living tissue. The Calliphoridae species most commonly used in maggot therapy is Lucilia sericata (syn. Phaenicia sericata). Lucilia sericata is preferred because it feeds superficially on necrotic material in living tissues. Fly larvae disinfect the wound by consuming bacteria. They secrete a wide range of enzymes, liquefying dead tissue and killing bacteria. In fact, fly larvae act as a stimulus that encourages the person to produce beneficial tissue growth factors.

For effective results, care must be taken to use cleaned eggs from suitable flies. 

Historical figures mentioned in the article: John Forney Zacharias (1837–1901), William Stevenson Baer (1872–1931)

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