1. Introduction

The introductory chapter outlines the global wound burden, explains the basics of maggot therapy, and scopes the content covered by the subsequent 18 chapters. Maggot therapy is the treatment of chronic and infected wounds with living fly larvae commonly known as maggots. When applied to the wound, maggots remove dead tissue, control infection, and promote wound healing. This highly efficacious therapy is not widely available around the world due to actual and perceived social, organisational, economic, logistic, and clinical barriers—all of which can be overcome. This is the first comprehensive book on maggot therapy summarising, beyond clinical practice, the principles of therapeutic action, medicinal maggot production and distribution, and ethical considerations regarding the use of living maggots in wound care. The chapter concludes with reflections on the past, present, and future of maggot therapy.