00:00:04dwell in filth and feed on decay but
00:00:08maggots might also be the next thing
00:00:10your doctor pulls out of his medicine
00:00:12bag maggots are the larvae of another
00:00:15creature with an image problem the fly
00:00:19in nature flies lay their eggs in
00:00:22rotting flesh
00:00:23so the maggot hatchlings won’t have to
00:00:26stray far to find food this taste for
00:00:29dead flesh is what makes maggots taboos
00:00:33but it also makes them perfect for use
00:00:36in medicine here in Wichita Kansas at
00:00:40the Wesley Medical Center’s Midwest
00:00:43Center for wound healing a new patient
00:00:45has come to try maggot therapy for the
00:00:47very first time Cyndi Kennedy suffers
00:00:51from diabetes four months ago she had an
00:00:54abscess taken from her abdomen that left
00:00:57a gaping wound conventional procedures
00:01:01are causing her so much pain that she
00:01:03can’t cope but if the wound is left
00:01:06untreated infection might spread
00:01:08throughout her body and she could die
00:01:11the solution to place hundreds of live
00:01:15maggots into the room the secret lies in
00:01:19their eating habits these maggots eat
00:01:21only dead flesh and leave healthy tissue
00:01:24alone dr. Terence McDonald has been
00:01:30prescribing maggot therapy for four
00:01:32years the maggots are a kind of a
00:01:36cleaning device for these worms not only
00:01:39do they remove the dead tissue which
00:01:40removes the food source for the bacteria
00:01:42then their saliva has antibacterial
00:01:45effects but to Cindy the thought of
00:01:48maggots feasting on her body doesn’t
00:01:50necessarily sound appetizing I’m like
00:01:54God and it’s gross you know but they say
00:01:58it really gets the job done so I’m
00:02:01willing to try anything the two
00:02:05millimeter long larvae are specially
00:02:07bred for use at wound care facilities
00:02:10these maggots are newly hatched and
00:02:13their
00:02:16if they can clean up the green and black
00:02:19decaying flesh they might save Cindy
00:02:22from having it surgically removed before
00:02:25the day is done she’ll have as many as
00:02:28700 maggots placed in her wound for 48
00:02:31hours the hungry maggots will feed on
00:02:33her diseased flesh and when they
00:02:37finished feasting they’ll grow to five
00:02:39times their original size
00:02:43two days later Cindy returns to the
00:02:46clinic to see if the maggots have
00:02:48cleaned out her wound a lot of these
00:02:51areas are really a lot lot cleaner the
00:02:54tissue that I can see in there is all
00:02:56pink it’s improved quite a lot but for
00:03:00Cindy even a medical miracle is not
00:03:03enough to overcome her taboo for creepy
00:03:05crawly creatures yeah it’s scary
00:03:09especially if you have a fear of birds
00:03:12they was only doing their job I mean I
00:03:16can understand that and I appreciate
00:03:18that but I’m glad it’s over
00:03:21if maggots can overcome their taboo
00:03:24reputation these creatures of death may
00:03:26keep eating their way to saving lives
”