The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-08-06
MEDICINE PRAcusE0 On ANIMALS.


How Beasts Cure Themselves Of Sickness
and Hurts,
The lower animals with few exccp-
lions. practise very welI-developed
system Of materia mcdicn. Most oi
Che beasts can diagnose aud prescribe
Cor their iIla more successfully than
many men holding physicians de-
gces. These animal doctors are. Of
course. foli taught and practise enc
tireIy without fees
Dogs are the most remarkable doc
tors among domestic animals. Thisis
probably accounted for by the fact
that of an animals the dog Is most left
90 care for itself A dog suffering
from loss Of appetite or a like I'M will
refuse human remedies and run, or II
necessary drag itself, for miles 20 find
a particular herb that Is a specific for
It's complaint Dogs may often DO
seen in suburban fields chewing at a
species Of wiry grass, known as dogs
grass, OF chilndent This, they know,
will cleanse the system aud restore
appetite in a way that would bring
envy 10 the heart Of patent medi-
cine men. Similarly when other all
ments attack them their canine natures
crave oily or fatty substances, aud
they will eat these greedily, turning
from the most tempting morsels Of any
other sort
The common ant, when one Of IFS
horns is torn of in a battle or other
wise, seeks out a companion, who
bathes the wounded part with an oint-
ment, also home made-which heals IT,
The mongoose is noted for its enmity
10 the deadly cobra snake. When the
mongoose is bitten by a cobra it
plunges into the nearest thicket OF
Jungle, bites off and swallows an herb,
known only TO itself, and having thus
taken an antidote, goes back to renew
the combat.
The chimpanzee, following q like
course when wounded, shameless the
blood with its hand and quickly seeks
a certain sort of grass and leaves.
Mixing them, it makes q 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 its own wound, its
mate will do it, working as carefully
and with probably as good effect as
any human doctor. However long the
mvalids convalescence, the mate pre-
pares fresh plasters as often as neces-
sary, 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 q
eonvalescent's needs.
A far moro clever feat Of surgery is
performed by the ordinary red squir-
rel. When the squirrels paw is torn
off in a trap or its leg broken by a
! gunshot, the suffering animal drags
itself to the nearest safe place, and,
after bracing itself on some broad
branch, or in its own nest, begins the
work of amputation. The broken OF
torn paw is neatly bitten off. The
sufferer seems to think that for the
time the work is ended, and that the
skin will cover 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 O
flesh and skin thus hang far beyond
the bone, and in time heals over, GOV
ering it completely. 1t took the hu
man race some centuries to learn thai
simple trick in surgery which the very
stupidest squirrel understands from
the time he is born.