Photo: #Maggots help wounds by breaking down and eating dead tissue and secreting an enzyme that creates an environment hostile to bacteria. Maggots may also secrete a substance that stimulates the development of new blood vessels, and as a result, new tissue growth.
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Maggots help wounds by breaking down and eating dead tissue and secreting an enzyme that creates an environment hostile to bacteria. Maggots may also secrete a substance that stimulates the development of new blood vessels, and as a result, new tissue growth. (Photo courtesy of the National Institutes of Health)

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They're altogether ooky


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St. Paul, Minn. — The origin of Halloween extends back more than 2,000 years to the Celtic festival celebrating the end of the harvest. It was then, the Celts believed, that the fragile membrane between life and death was weakest.

In modern times, we spend this day paying homage to all things spooky and creepy. So, we thought it might be fun and interesting to talk to Dr. John Hallberg about some ancient and creepy medical practices that are still in use today.

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