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ABC News
ABC News
Health
Bridget Judd with Catalyst

Leeches have had a long (and strange) medical history from treating headaches to obesity

Bridget Judd Obesity Cole Aspirin Australia
Leeches have been used in medicine for thousands of years, but they really took hold in the 18th and 19th centuries. (Getty Images)

Knee-deep in murky water, with nothing but his trusty dungarees and a net, Brian Woodbridge is searching for something special.

He's not a treasure hunter — at least, not in the traditional sense.  As far as he knows, Brian is Australia's only leech farmer.

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