Question

the main, or central, idea of the passage is as noted by william baer, some severe wounds can be effectively treated with maggots, which consume dead tissue. how does the detail in bold develop the main idea? while serving in world war i, surgeon william baer noticed something curious: soldiers whose wounds were infested with maggots (the wormlike immature larval form of flies) recovered faster than those whose wounds were maggot - free. although baer was not the first military doctor to take note of this phenomenon, he was the first to apply his observations to the problem of nonhealing wounds. in the 1920s, he began treating hospital patients serious wounds with maggots. the maggots consumed dead tissue, effectively cleaning the wounds and helping the patients heal. while maggot therapy fell out of favor after bacteria - killing antibiotic medications were introduced, it has made a comeback in modern medicine. many clinicians have found that the treatment can be effective for certain types of severe wounds that do not respond to antibiotics. it establishes the modern - day relevance of maggot therapy. it emphasizes a similarity between maggot therapy and antibiotics.

Explanation:

The passage first mentions William Baer's initial observations and use of maggot therapy. Then, it states that after falling out of favor with the introduction of antibiotics, maggot therapy has made a comeback. The bolded detail "Many clinicians have found that the treatment can be effective for certain types of severe wounds that do not respond to antibiotics" shows that maggot therapy is relevant in modern - day medicine (when antibiotics may not work). It does not emphasize a similarity between maggot therapy and antibiotics; instead, it shows a situation where maggot therapy is useful when antibiotics are not.

Answer:

It establishes the modern - day relevance of maggot therapy.