The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-03-15
ANIMALS As DOCTORS,
The Medical and Surgical Lore Of Dogs.
Cats. Ante and Horses

ANIMALS As DOCTORS.
The Medical and Surgical Lore OF Dogs
| Cats. Ante and Horses.
VI. u. Deiaunay, in recent commu.
nication to the Biological Society, OBJ.
served that medicine. as practiced by
animals, is thoroughly empirical, but
that the same may be said of that
| practlced by inferior human races, or il.
other words, by the majority of the hu.
man species. Animals inslinctively
choose such food rs is best suited to them.
Nj. Delaunay maintains that the human
race also shows this instinct and blamcs
MEDICAL men :or iGt paying sufficient re.
spcct 10 the likes and dislikcs of the
patients. which he believes tn be guide
that may be depended on. Women are
more often hungry than men and thev
do not like the SAME kinds of food new
cStheless, i'll asylums for aged poor, men
anu women are put on precisely the same
regimen. Infants scarcely wcaned are
given diet suitable TO adults, meat and
wine, which they dislike, and which
disagree with them. ~ Delaunay in.
v1aiigatc'i this question i. ii.v dihtrent
asylums of Paris, and ascertained that
children do not H. meat before tipy
are about five years age. People who
like salt, vinegar, &c, ought to be al.
lowed to satisfy their tastes. I.orain al.
ways taught that with regard to food
peoples likings are the best guide. A
large number of animals wash themselves
and bathc, as elephants, s,ags, birds and
ants. NJ. Dclaunay lays down as a gen.
-
animal which voluntarily runs the risk
OF inhaiipg emanations arising from their
own e2crement. If we turn our atten.
tion to the question of reproduction we
shall sec that all mammals suckle their
young, keep them clean, wean them at
the proper time and educate them; but
these maternal instincts are frequently
rudlmentary III women Of civilized
nations. In fact, man may take lesson
IN hygiene from the lower animals. An
lmals get rid of their parasites by using
dust, mud, clay, &c. Those suffering
from fever restrict their diet, keep quiet,
seek darkness and airy places, drink va.
ter and sometimes even plunge into it.
When dog has lost his appetite it eats
that species of grass known rs dogs
grass (chiendenl which acts as All emetic
and purgative. Cats also eat grass.
Sheep and COWS, when i'll, seek out GER
tain herbs. When dogs arc constipated
they eat fatty substances, such as oil and
butter, with avidity, until they are
purged. The same thing is observed in
horses. An animal suffering from chron-
ic rheumatism always keeps as far as
possible in the sun. The warrior ants
have regularly organized ambulances
Latreille cut the antenB OF an ant and
other ants came and covered the wound.
ed part with transparent fluid secreted
from their mouths. If chimpanzee be
wounded it stops the bleeding by placing
its hand on the wound or dressing it
with leaves and grass. When an ami
NAL has a wounded leg or arm hanging
on, it completes the amputation by
means Of its teeth. = deg on being
stung il the niuzzie by viper was ob.
served TO plunge his head repeatedly for
several days into running water. This
animal eventually recovered. A sport
ing dog was run over by a carriage.
During three weeks in winter it remained
lying in brook, where its food was
taken to it; the animal recovered. A
terrier dog hurt its right eye it remained
lying under counter, avoiding light
and heat, although habitually It kept
close to the fire. 1t adopted general
treatment, rest and abstinence from food.
The local treatment consisted in licking
the upper surface of The paw, which it
applied to the wounded eye, again lick
ing the paw whom it became dry. Cats
also, when hurt, treat themselves by this
simple method of continuous irrigation.
NJ. Delaunay cites the case of cat
which remained for some time lying on
the bank OF river; also that of another
cat which had the singular fortitude to
remain for forty-eight hours urder Jet
of cold water. Animals suffering from
traumatic fever treat themselves by the
continued application of cold water,
which NJ. Delaunay considers to be more
certain than any of the other methods.
In view of these interesting facts, We
are, he thinks, forced to admit that hy-
giene and therapeutics, as practiced by
animals, may, in the interests of psychol.
ogy, be studied with advantage. He
could go even further and say that
veterinary medicine, and, perhaps, hu-
man medicine. could gather from them
some useful indications, precisely be-
cause they are prompted by instincts
which are efficacious in the preservation
or the restoration of health.-British
bfedicai Journal.