This therapy was used in the 16th century but its popularity declined with the takeover of antibiotics and new surgical methods for treating wounds.
Maggots eat the bacterial micro-organisms present in wounds.
This arrests bacterial infection. Maggots also secrete a substance that serves as an antibacterial weapon against bacterial infection. A third benefit of MDT is that the maggots produce a potent brew of enzymes to decompose dead wound tissue. The maggots then eat this decomposition. The skin is then clean and free to grow and heal.