To stop the bleeding from leech bites, take a little cotton wool, or the downy side of lint scraped; make it into a ball about the size of a pea; wipe quickly the leech bite, until for a moment it is clear of blood; then put the pellet of cotton wool upon the bite, and press it firmly down with one finger; keep up the pressure, without intermission, for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, and the bleeding will nearly always cease. I have very frequently been sent for to stop the bleeding from leech bites, and never found it necessary to adopt any other plan than this. At the end of ten or fifteen minutes, cautiously remove the finger, and take care not to disturb the cotton wool for twelve hours or more

This is the treatment that should be adopted in case the bleeding goes on for too long a time. In general, when leeches are ordered, it is directed that bleeding shall be encouraged for twenty minutes or half an hour, and then stopped. To promote the bleeding, a poultice may be applied, or cloths dipped in warm water, and changed occasionally. When it is wished to stop the bleeding, all that is needful, in ordinary cases, is to expose the bites to the air, when it will spontaneously cease. The mistakes persons commonly make, when attempting to arrest the bleeding from leech bites, is, that they apply a large piece of cloth, such as a handkerchief or napkin, perhaps wet, and make pressure with it. This is utterly useless. What is wanted is firm pressure just over the bite; no bleeding can then possibly go on.

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