The Chipley banner., 1897-07-31
MEDICINE PRAcTlsED BY ANIMALS,
How Beasts Cure Themselves OF Sickness
and Hurts.

How Beasts Cure Themselves OF Sickness
and Hurts.
The lower animals with few eIcep-
tions, practise O very well-developed
system Of materia medica. Most Of
the beasts can diagnose and prescribe
for their ills more successfully than
many men holding physicians de-
grees. These animal doctors are, OF
course, self taught and practise en-
tirely without fees.
Dogs are the most remarkable doc
tors among domestic animals. This is
probably accounted for by the fact
that Of oil animals the dog is most left
to care for itself A dog suffering
from loss of appetite or like i'll will
refuse human remedies and run, or il
necessary drag itself, for miles to find
a particular herb that is q specific for
its complaint. Dogs may often be
seen in suburban fields chewing at q
species Of wiry grass, known as dogs
grass, or chilndent. This, they know,
will cleanse the system and restore
appetite in q way that would bring
envy to the heart of patent medi-
cine men. Similarly when other all
ments attack them their canine natures
crave oily or fatty substances, and
they will eat these greedily, turning
from the most tempting morsels of any
other sort.
The common ant, when one Of its
horns is torn off in q battle or other
wise, seeks out companion, who
bathes the wounded part with an oint-
ment, also home made-which heals it.
The mongoose is noted for its enmity
TO the deadly cobra snake. When the
mongoose is bitten by q cobra it
plunges into the nearest thicket or
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 . like
course when wounded, stanches the
blood with its hand and quickly seeks
. certain sort Of grass and leaves.
Mixing them, it makes q poultice,
which is clapped over the wound, and,
unless o vital spot is touched, soon
effects cure. Should the ape be too
badly hurt to dress its own wound, its
mate will do it, working as CAREFUL y
and with probably as good effect as
any human doctor. However long the
invalid's 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 o
convalescent's needs.
A far more clever feat OF surgery is
performed by the ordinary red squir-
rel. When the squirrels paw is torn
of in trap or its leg broken by o
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 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 oover 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 heals over, COW
ering 1t completely. 1t took the hu-
man race some centuries to learn that
simple trick In surgery which the very
stupidsst squirrel understands from
the time he is born.