They are small as physician assistants go, about two inches long, and slithery. They wiggle about for a bit before getting down to what they do best: sucking blood. Leeches — yes, leeches — are still widely prescribed in Russian medicine, about 10 million of them every year, in many cases as a low-cost substitute for blood thinners like warfarin. In Russia, a medicinal leech costs less than $1, and a typical application requires three to seven of the ravenous little creatures.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/world/europe/leeches-russia-medicine.html
