‘Maggot Therapy’

Re “ ‘Maggot Therapy’ Crawls Ahead,” July 21: Not an appetizing thought, but not a new idea. In the ‘50s, in Air Force escape and evasion jungle survival training in Okinawa, we learned that some wounded pilots in WWII let flies lay eggs in their wounds. The maggots ate the gangrenous dead flesh, perhaps saving their lives.

BILL GOURLAY

Westlake Village

* Your article brought back memories of my nurse’s training in Albany, N.Y. I remember well a few patients with impossible-to-heal lesions--before the advent of antibiotics, who were treated with this therapy. The maggots were confined to the wound by screen-like cages left open to the air. Occasionally one would attempt to escape and would be carefully pushed back into the cage with a stick. The maggots were repulsive but they accomplished the task very well and the lesions healed.

It is nice to see modern medicine revert to old tried-and-true remedies. (I graduated from training in 1942.)

ALLE SCHUMACHER

Hermosa Beach