The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-06
HOSPITAL FOR ANIMALS.
WHERE SICK ELEPHANTS AND
CANARY BIRDS ARE TREATED.
A Very Fine Hospital Under Swell
Auspices and in Charge of the
New York Veterinary Surgeons
and school of Comparative Medi-
cine.
BY EDYTH STEEL.

II IS a hospital under very swell aus
pices, in charge of the New York col
lege of veterinary surgeons and school
OF comparative medicine. The college
is branch of tine University Of New
1 York, and they treat any animal you
please there that is not q human being,
from elephants to canary birds.
The performing elephants that have
started at one of the variety theatres
during the last year, had to be taken to
the hospital for a week last fall when
they first landed in the country for haV
ing been so seasick on the voyage they
were quite done up; their Treatment was
simple enough, for it consisted only of a
quart of gin apiece every day, but the
hospital could give them quarters better
suited to their invalid condition than
they could get anywhereAzelse. On the
other hand, IA canary bird recently had
one leg amputated there, and went
away hopping quite comfortably on one.
1t seems bird bears losing a leg &etter
| than most animals.
INSIDE THE HOSPITAL.
The hospital and college occupy an
entire four-story building at 154 East
F1flty-seventh street, New York city.
The entrance looks a good deal like chat
J OF a livery stable, except that there is
one corner rallied off that looks like
pharmacy; there are kept the medicines
likely TO be needed quickly in an emer-
gency. On the wall is a long type
written paper, laying down the strictest
laws about the care of the surgical
instruments; no instrument must be laid
down ON anything but towels that have
been antiseptically treated if exposed
for any length of time through delay
IN the operation they must all be again
washed in antiseptic preparations. No
hospital could be more careful in all
these respects
The doctor that took me around is es-
pecially attached Gn every sense to the
horses, and he talked of every one of
his patients just as though he were
| speaking of a man and brother; but
he had one pet name for all the horses;
he called every one Baby" as ne talked
to them.
Come, Baby, come-you're getting all
right, aren't your" Turn here and
speak to the lady he would say, and he
declared his opinion to be that two
! thirds of the horses in New York had
more sense than their drivers.
IN THE HORSE AND DOG WARDS.
We hear a good deal about physicians
growing hardened, particularly in hos
pital practice, but it was clean. to me
that these doctors of animals get soft
ened by experience. Animals have
something the same power to toucn
those who really get acquainted with
them that children have, and when you
take care of a sick ONE you get ac-
| quainGed with it in a very advantage
Gus way; it is apt to be so patient and
so intelligent.
Why" said the DOCTOR ''the way
horses and dogs will bear pain because
they know you are doing something
for them makes most human patients
look ungTateful. Horses are the best
OF all about understanding that you
want them to keep still, but the way
dogs will lick your hand when you are
hurting them terribly is very touching.
All that is necessary is for them to be
lleVe you mean to do them good and
they catch that idea very quickly
The dogs ward is ON the third floor:
| in fact, amy small animal is treated
there unless it be monkey or some
such beast from the tropics, requiring
extra heat; in that case a room in
which one of the doctors keeps and
breeds home monkeys of his own can
be used.
THE WAY DOGS AND CATS LIVE
TOGETHER.
1t is perfectly wonderful how clean
and sweet is the whole place. The dogs
are kept in iron cages, much as you
see them at a dog show, and the cats
are provided for in the same way. Some
Of them are apt to set up a nervous
barking as you enter but the doctor
speaks to them and pets them, and
then they seem relieved ard enter
tanned to see someone Anyone .ac-
quainted with dogs knows how bored
they can be, and these poor, sick fell
| lows show so much ennui it looks as if
! ph1lanthropfSts ought to send them the
Illustrated papers and go in and read
n ocJo,
el'S would spend a great deal of time
with them if the authorities encour-
aged II. They say it eXcites the pa
! TENTS too much, particularly those suf-
! fering from nervous diseases. Clearly
1t Is case for the ministration CT
/ strangers, since members of the family
| are too agitated
You'd think the pussy cats would be
highly nervous, being in the same room
with the dogs. but no. they don't mind
| 1t at all, understanding perfectly that
the dogs are shut up and they are shut
| up and adj is safe. One thin. black kit
W got up and came to her bars and
talked very intelligently and piteously
to me. meowing and looking into nv
! face in that communicative way that
! Is the cleverest and most human of cat
tricks.
FOR EXERCISE.
Behind the ward stretches a long tin
roof that is rallied in and used as an
exercise ground The patients with
| contagious diseases are kept to them
selves in the ward and on the play
ground.
I asked the doctor if they ever had
any dogs go mad, and he said they
heard enough about mad dogs. but
they never had had any experience
with them He did not doubt that
sometimes dogs do have rabies, but
thought not one dog in fifty killed for
mad is really SO He said people stood
in more danger from pet birds than
! mad dogs-isn't that surprising?
Then he told of g, pet parrot they had
charge of few weeks ago; it had con-
sumption; they have no ward for in