The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1897-09-11
ANIMAL DOCTORS.


How Members Of the Brute Creation Cure
Themselves When Sick.
The lower animals, with few ex-
captions, practice a very we'll devel-
oped system of materia medica.
Most of the beasts IA diagnose and
prescribe for their ills more success
fully than many men holding ply.
sicians' degrees. These animal doc
tors are, of course, self taught, and
practice entirely without fees.
Dogs are the most remarkable
doctors among domestic animals.
This is probably accounted for by
the fact that of all animals the dog
is most left to care for itself. A dog
suffering from loss of appetite or a
like i'll will refuse human remedies
md run, or it necessary drag itself
for miles to find a particular herb
that is a specific for its complaint.
Dogs may often be seen i'll subur-
ban fields chewing at a species Of
why grass known as dogs grass,
or CHEN dent. This, they know.
will cleanse the system and restore
appetite in a way that would bring
envy to the heart of patent medi-
cine men. Similarly when other
ailments attack them their canine
natures crave oily or fatty sub
stances, and they will eat these
greedily, turning from the most
tempting morsels of any other sort.
The common ant, when n of its
horns is torn off in battle or other
wise, seeks out a companion, who
bathes the wounded part with an
ointment, also homemade-which
heals it. The mongoose is noted
for its enmity to the deadly cobra
snake. When the mongoose is bit
ten by a cobra, it plunges into the
nearest thicket or jungle, bites off
and swallows an herb known orly
to itself, and having thus taken an
antitode, goes back to renew the
combat.
The chimpanzee, following a like
course when wounded, shameless the
blood with its hand and quickly
seeks a certain sort of grass and
leaves. Mixing them, it makes a
poultice, which is clapped over the
wound, and, unless a vital spot is
touched, soon effects a cure. Should
the ape be too badly hurt to dress
it's own wound, its mate will do it,
working as carefully and with prob
ably as good effect as any human
doctor. However long the invalid's
convalescence, the mate prepares
fresh plasters as often as necessary,
and by instinct knows just when
the poultice on the hurt should be
replaced. 1t also serves its patient
with proper cooling diet, suited to a
oonvalescent's needs.
A far more clever feat of surgery
is performed by the ordinary red
squirrel. When the squirrels paw
is torn off in a trap OF its leg bro
ken by a gunshot, the suffering ami
NAL drags itself to the nearest safe
place, and, after bracing itself on
some broad branch, o. in its own
nest, begins the work of amputa-
ton. The broken or torn paw is
neatly bitten off. The sufferer seems
to think that for the time the work
is ended and that the skin will Gov
er the end of the broken stump.
But instead the flesh shrinks back.
leaving the sensitive, jagged bone
protruding. Back goes the three
legged squirrel to his dissecting
room. The bone is carefully gnawed,
not only until it is even with the
flesh, but much farther down. The
bits of flesh and skin thus hang far
beyond the bone, and in time heal
over, covering it completely. 1t
took the human race some centuries
to learn that simple trick in surgery
which the very stupidest squirrel
understands from the time he il
born.-New York World.