Luring leeches with one's bare legs, in the name of science

Most people avoid leeches like the plague... which is fitting because the blood-suckers were once thought to be a valid treatment for the disease.

But Anna Phillips seeks them out on purpose.

She's the curator of the Smithsonian's National Parasite Collection in Washington DC, and she's been known to trudge out to the swamps of Maryland to hunt for the slimy specimens.

And that often involves doing a "leech dance", in her bare legs.

The BBC's Jane O'Brien went along with her recently to try to lure the leeches - all in the name of science.

Filmed by Pete Murtaugh & Maxine Collins. Edited by Bill McKenna