Leech collector, one of the most disgusting professions in history.
In medieval Europe, doctors believed in Greek theories that diseases were caused by an imbalance of four bodily fluids
They are phlegm, black bile, yellow bile and blood, so doctors will use phlebotomy for many diseases.
One of the ways to suck blood is the use of leeches, which are parasites that feed on host blood and can absorb blood five times their weight. Due to the small wound and good effect, leech blood sucking therapy was very popular at that time.
Thus, the profession "leech collector" came into being.
Leech collectors wade through local ponds and rivers, waiting for the leeches to "hook" with their bare skin.
When leech collectors are adsorbed by a certain number of leeches in a pond, they carefully climb out of the water, wait for the leeches to eat, and then pluck the leeches and sell them to doctors.
Usually, leeches will suck blood on the collector for 20 minutes, because if the leech is forcibly removed immediately, the leech's teeth will remain on the body and the leech will die.
Collectors sometimes feel weak and nauseous because they are being sucked too much blood by leeches. Sometimes, leech collectors die from bacterial infection because their wounds do not heal.
Leeches are of course still very medicinal and are farmed on a large scale.
Fortunately, there is no such profession anymore, it's disgusting!
