Have you ever had one attach to you? Did you freak? How did you get it off? Squick.
Answers to your questions, in order:
Yes, on numerous occasions.
No, not really.
Salt or fire, whichever was most handy. Although when i was a kid, we would occasionally just pull them off, which of course always made the wound bleed a lot.
When I worked in Africa we had to contend with land leeches that would hang out on leaves and jump onto you when you brushed by. You would see the little suckers hitching their way up your pants legs. (Or else find them in your socks after they had sunk their fangs in.)
I hate them worse than ticks and chiggers. They were hard to squish, so I would usually carry a sharp pocketknife with me and cut them in half as they inched up my leg. The ones in my socks I just pulled off, even though it was bloody.
When I was in middle school I went wading in a stream on a farm. There were other kids with me, and it felt cool and fun, the mud squishing up between your toes.
I got back to the bank and brushed the mud off my toes, but one little section of mud wouldn’t brush. It was firmly attached. I thought “OH gross, it’s a leech!” and pulled it off. I recognized what it must be from the leech scene in The African Queen.
I had a leech on me from swimming in a lake once as a kid, and oh yeah, there was freaking out. My exact words were, “GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!” if I recall correctly. We just yanked it off - we didn’t know there was supposed to be some finesse way of doing it. I can live without ever seeing another leech or tick.
One time, when I was thirteen, my mom took my brother and I to a park that had the Kalamazoo River flowing through it. Most of the kids were playing with the fish and walking in the shallow, sunny areas but I went down to an area where I saw some mullberry trees hanging over the water, just right for picking. It was shaded and much cooler. After walking around there, I came out of the area and notice a splotch of mud on my leg. Went to wipe it off…Only, it wasn’t mud. :eek:
This being the first time, I freaked. I called over my younger brother, as my mom had disappeared on us (that happened often) and kept freak-dancing around. I was able to stay in one spot long enough for my brother to pull the thing off. Miraculously, there was no blood. Never want to encounter one of those again!
I’ve seen them in the wild, and I think one of the other guys got one on him, but I lucked out.
Y’all ain’t never seen no leeches. Leeches, my friend, in a South Georgia swimming hole, where you walk out every time (count on it) with at least five of those beefy suckers hanging off the back of each knee. These leeches were huge. These leeches could talk. These leeches would sing like a Siren and send the scent of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies wafting toward any kid who came in range.
Them were some leeches, and we braved 'em every time. We mostly just scratched them off with sand.
I did freak the first time, but only after they were off; until then I was concentrating my energies on making sure they were all gone.
Only had to deal with the human variety. I wouldn’t be real happy about the kind you’re talking about. I’d probably pull them off if salt or fire weren’t right at hand.
I’ve attached them to other people. They are used in medicine to help reattach skin or scalp.
I seem to recall the subject of leech removal coming up on an episode of QI. The recommended method of removal was just to let them finish feeding and drop off. Fairly harmless if you do that. All of the various fire/salt approaches can result in the leech regurgitating into the wound, which can lead to more serious infection.
Never had to deal with one myself, mind, but I can understand the urge for more immediate measures.
I’m guessing that’s a recommendation that works a lot better in textbooks than in real life. 
Trouble is they won’t drop off unless there’s water to drop into, and if you stay in the water you’re gonna get moe leeches. Big handful of sand, press against skin above leech and scratch down.
I wanted to raise medicinal leeches. I thought it would be one livestock I couldn’t get attached to (emotional, I mean!). At the time I did my research, there was only one company supplying leeches, and I wanted to horn in on their business. I still think it would be a pretty cool work-from-home scheme.
StG
Many times. Yanked 'em off. Not that big a deal.
It takes some prep. They have to be raised in a sterile environment. The first few generations have to be discarded, because they aren’t sterile. You have to have afairly big on-hand supply. We used anywhere from 6 to a couple dozen every 6 hours for at least a couple days.
BTW, they do drop off when full without water.
They aid in reattaching skin?
The bite point itches like f&ck though, and the worse the longer they stay on. Much worse than mosquitoes or similar.
A dab of insect repellant containing DEET causes them to drop off instantly. My walking friends and I here in the subtropics rub said repellent all over our boots and socks when walking somewhere leachy. It does the trick.
The worst leach story I’ve ever heard is one I won’t tell because telling you about the time one of my hiking friends woke up in his tent to find a leach on his eyeball would squick you all out. So I certainly won’t mention it.
Well there was this time me and my friends were walking down the railroad tracks to go see a dead body…
They keep the swelling and bruising down by draining away excess blood and keeping it from clotting. Interesting how leeches used to be used back in the day to ‘draw away vitreous humors’ and now they have a legitimate medical use again.
I HATE YOU PRINCHESTER I HATE YOU SO MUCH
Though it is my fault for opening a thread about leeches shudder, blanch