What do Genghis Khan, the American Civil War and the UK’s health service have in common? The answer is, perhaps surprisingly, maggots.

Dr Erica McAlister, an entomologist and Senior Curator at the Natural History Museum in the UK, explores how having maggots munching away at the decaying flesh of a wound might not be as terrible as it sounds. In fact, as it turns out, the humble maggot is actually a medical marvel!

Script and narration by Dr Erica McAlister
Animation by Pomona Pictures

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