Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-23
PAT|ENTsVAT THE zoo
How the Sidk Animals Are
Cared For.
A FULE: RECORD KEPT
ARRANGEMENTS OF DIR. BAKER
AND HIEoASsISTANTS.
Daily Inspections - Conduct of a
Monkey Suffering From a Cold-Ap-
preciates Beneficial Treatment.

A round Of the park is made every morn
ing and each animals state OF health care
fully noted. In order to determine these
things physician must be an expert OF
wide knowledge, the average medical man
going the rounds among the animals being
Of little service until he has mastered the
pecularities and Individual traits OF his pa
tients.
A monkey with cold has symptoms much
like those of a man under the same circum-
stances, but a snake with bronchitis Is an
entirely different thing, his constitution be-
ing antithetical to that Of warm-blooded
animals. ct a snake can have colds, and
does have them, and 1t becomes the bust
ness Of the physician in ordinary to his
snakeship to get at the germs that are
lurking in his system and disperse them.
For every one of the animals at the Zoo rep
resents not only a financial investment, but
valuable property from a scientific stand
point, and the loss of one might entail very
great effort on the part Of the government
to replace him. Some of them are SO rare
that their duplication is practically impos-
sible, the great Kadiac bear from Alaska
being an instance.
Knows the Condition Of All.
So familiar with the habits of the ami
mails under their care have the keepers and
physicians become that every growl or
whimper, every move or wink of the eye. has
its significance, and Dr. Baker is able at a
glance to tell the state Of health Of any one
Of his charges. Re The great carnivorous
beasts are rarely. Ill, and when they are a
selection Of diet Is generally all that Is nee
essary to restore them to health. Once in
a while an animal from torrid climate Is
stricken down. with pneumonia, and then
the treatment Is similar to that applied IN
the case of man suffering from the same
illness Even the seals have pneumonia
Illogical as 1t may seem, and when one of
these gentle animals contracts this lung
trouble he Is given warm bath and dosed
with strychniEe approximately admins
tered. Wrapped in blankets, he is allowed
to rest and nature is given a chance to
complete the cure
The most common accident I 1t befalls
the monkeys is the fracture of a leg. their
antics about the cages often resulting in
this diaster. When 1t does happen the
monkey Is caught and his leg set just as ds a
mans, then wrapped in splints and incased
in plaster Of Paris to heal He is taken to
the hospital until 'iconva1escent, and every
care given him, for monkeys are probably
the most susceptible to illness of any Of
the animals at the Zoo.- In every case
where the treatment Is painful an anaes-
thetic Is administered before operating
only the simplest operations being perform
ed without this aid of science. That the
death rate in the Washington Zoo is lower
than in any other park of the kind in the
world is evidence that the men in charge
know their business.
Records Of the Animals.
At any moment the condition of any ami
NAL may be ascertained by glance at the
record books, and in the case Of illness
the progress Of the disease and the effect of
the treatment may be learned. 1t is this
care that accounts for the excellent state
OF health Of the majority of the interest
ing creatures that make up the pleasure
resort of the people Of the District and
visitors from all over the world.
In the case of death q specific autopsy re-
port Is made out for reference and informa-
ton. Autopsies are performed on all ami
mails that die and this has resulted In great
advantage to the students who make their
systems their life business. When the
cause Of death has not been apparent 1t Is
quickly ascertained when the knife of the
skillf,M surgeon has laid bare the inner
mechanism of the animal and the report is
prepared accordingly. In the record is
written down the part of the body affected,
the progress Of the disease at the time of
death, the scientific name of the malady
and the name and description of the ant
NAL. In this manner every death is made
the subject Of study that may help at fu-
ture times the other animals In the collec-
ton.
During the course Of treatment Of a dis.
ease the form used is almost exactly like
the blanks that are hung at the bedside Of
human patients in hospitals. At the TOP is
the name of the animal. below this are
spaces for the date. diagnosis, temperature
respiration pulse, diet and medicines used,
a final space being left for remarks by the
nurse in attendance. II the animal under
the kind occurs for years 1t Is only neces-
sary for the physician to turn to the re-
port on the preceding case and learn at
glance everything appertaining to 1t and
what medicines were used in the case where
success attended the work.
A Monkey With Cold.
Recently one Of the representatives of
90
to the superintendent as having cold DR.
Baker went in haste to the cage of the ami
NAL and saw him sitting in a corner, his
eyes blinking and tears coursing down his
cheeks very much after the pathetic man
ner of a baby similarly afflicted One of the
attendants took him in his arms and opened
his mouth. The doctor peered professionally
into the throat and announced that a bad
cold was all that was the matter with the
animal but anbads cold is serious thing
with monkey and immediate preparations
first given a medfsated vapor bath. over
which he madsa vigorous protest but when
he discovered That 1t made him feel better
instead Of worse. De Gained down and ac-
thing that mankind Is called on to take
when he has a cofd-listerine was SPRAYED
into the nostrils and down the throat of
the little animal. be all the while making
the strongest hAAA+ VI ASul TO escape and
emitting howls that would have done credit
to a lusty -Iunged Baby. To one never hav-
ing heard the cry before It sounded exactly
like human baby crying over being forced
to take medicine. But after a continue
ton Of the treatment for several days the
monkey discovered that he was being bene-
f1ted by the men and took his medicine
with docility and even gratitude for their
intelligence is of high order and they are
quick to perceive when good or III Is done
them. During the treatment the animals
are handled with the greatest care and
gentleness, no matter how much they may
struggle or attempt to bite or otherwise In
jure their keepers. The greatest care is
taken not to cause unnecessary pain.
When It is considered that there are many
hundreds of animals in the Geological Park
it will be seen that 1t is no small task to
keep them In good state Of health and
much credit is due DR.. Baker for his work
The birds, snakes, fish, reptiles and animals
of every kind come under his personal SUI
pervision and so carefully has he followed
out the lines of his profession that the con-
dition Of every one Of the inhabitants is at
his command at all times.
An unknown maniac wounded three off,