The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-07-03
THE INTELLrGENcE OF ANIMALS.

Some Interesting Cases off Exhibition
(Dr. D. A.Garton in Medical Times.
Many animals provide aga inst in
clement weather and the contingency
OF want By storing fodH and building
places of abode and rrfuge. securing
the nselves against want. cold, storms
and their enemies. They choose sue h
fooa as is best suited to them with
| the same degree of certainty that ma
ture shows in digesting it, and reject
| improper or injurious articles OF food
With greater sagacity than that afford
ed by conscious intelligence. So, like
wise, in protecting themselves against
morbific causes, as infection, they in
etinctively resort to such measures as
science has shown to be the more eff
cacious: namely, cleanliness. They
show a remarkable degree of clairvoy-
ance as to death, time Of delivery of
! their young, weaving, etc, kind OF fore
seeing in which man is deficient.
Dogs and cats, suffering from disor,
dered stomach, cat certain grasses
which have the effect of purging and
vomiting. The dog also eats fat with
avidity when in need of purgation but
abstains from it IN his normal copdi-
tions. The horse will eat fat for the
same purpose, and earth, coal dust, etc,
when suffering from worms. Cattle
seek certain herbs when ill-medic-
inal hers such as they would not cat
when we'll. Horses and other animals.
when suffering from chronic rhcuma
tism. expose themselves to the sun.
Dogs and other animals seek water
in which to hathe their wounded
limbs. NJ. Deiaunay,a French writer.
has recorded many instances of in
stinctive therapeutics among the
lower animals when sutf ering from fe-
yer. infection. wounds, etc. He relates
the case of dog that on being stung
by viper, held the part in running
water for days, until it finally recov
cred. He instances also the case of
dog that was badly injured by being
run over by a carriage, and that re-
mained lying in brook during three
weeks The animal recovered. A ter
-ier was severely wounded in his right
eve. 1t secluded itself from the light
and heat and ate light, abstemious
diet. The wounded eye was treated
with spittle applied by itself by means
of its paw, which it licked on its upper
surface and then applied it to the
wounu. This it did repeatedly until
the wound healed.
The cat shows similar sagacity in
treating its wounds NJ. Delaunay
relates instances in which his animal.
which in its normal state exh ibirs
dread of water, when wounded, has
sought the stream. in which to bathe
and irrigate the wounded part. The
same is true of savages, but slightly
removed in the scale of being from
the animal. The chimpanzee, when
wounded, arrests bleeding by compress
sion and dresses the part with leaves
and grasses Low bred savages dress
their wounds in water, lie in running
water, abstain from food, and drink
nothing but water when suffering
from fever. When infectious fevers as
small pox, break out in their camp
the camp with all its appurtences. is
burned and its inhabitants removed to
fresher and more wholesome quarters.
These and other similar psychical
phenomena. showing unconscious will
ing to the fulfilment of conscious
end, are put by the psychologist in the |
category OF consensual impulses "a /
phrase which should deceive DO one. |
since. whatever phraesolugy the phe- |
nomena may be disgusised, their psy /
chical origins and character remain 10 |
proclaim to us most wonderful aud |
awe inspiring truth: namely. that ,
mind is the genius o the world. the |
power that designs. inolds into forms |
and being, and determines the destiny
of all things.