Wales has a long history of using leeches in medicine and much of this was focused in Britain. Victorian leech collectors were people who splashed around disgusting, grubby marshland used their own blood to tempt leeches to attach to them. In 1922 James Joyce was leeched around one of his eyes in an attempt to cure his blindness. Stalin had leeches placed behind his ears on his deathbed. modern medical wards still routinely use leeches in plastic and reconstructive surgeries. South Wales has returned to having a near monopoly on their trade.