The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1905-07-14
ANIMALS AS SURGEONS.
Birds SIT Broken Legs, and Bees
and Cattle Understand
Medicine.

dogs saliva has perfect ha,ter-
cida, and healing power. and aug-
gested chat perhaps i, would MAKE q
/ GOOD ontiseptic although ii seemed
that no bacterio.o2ist had caught
the isn't contained in the simple pro-
cess NJ a dogs licking a sore. a pro.
cess seen every day.
This idea was discussed generally.
/ The young man who first mentioned
+ it took down pile Of old magazines,
and after a diligent search produced
a clipping from a medical journal
containing paper by DR.. George NJ.
Gould. Here is a part of it:
When we commence observation
Of the origin of medical discovery
and treatment we are struck by the
fact that our brothers, the animals,
were first i'm learning not a little of
medical art. II has been noticed
| that birds often show a true surgical
/ instinct. NJ. Tatio on several occa-
SiOns has killed WoodcOck that were.
when shot. convaleScing from wounds
previously received, and in every in
slant found the old injury neatly
dressed with down plucked from the
stems of feathers and skillfully
arranged over the wound. evidently
10y the beak of the birds.
In some instances a solid plaster
was thus formed, and in others
ligatureS had been applied towound-
ed or broken limbs. Ten times in his
experience his has found birds whose
limbs had been broken by shot, with
the fractured ends neatly approx
mated and litigated togethe. a
statement that is vouched for by no
less a naturalist than Fulbert
DOmonteil.
Z DIR. James Weir says that when
bees are attacked with diarrhoea
they at once begin to suck astringent
pieces of the dogwood, poplar, wild
cherry or hickory and rapidly cure
themselves. Their instinct carries
them so far that in winter if they
should happen to be a tilicted they will
readily drink a decoction of wild
cherry if it is placed in the hive.
Moreover. they seem to know that
filth is a source of disease.
"Dr. Weir further believes that
many of the higher animals have dis
covered and used materia medica
that should be recognized by human
physicians. For instance, dogs will
seek out and devour the long blades !
of cough-grass (triticum repens) |
when they are constipated; horses
and mules will eat clay when they
have scOurs; cattle with eczema have
been seen to plaster hoof and joint
with mud. He speaks of seeing a
COW break thin ice on a pond and
treat her itching joint to mud
poultice. Cats will go miles when
thay are under the weather for
dose of catnip."
The saliva of animals seems to
ha,e a distinct curative action.
Dogs, cats, cattle rodents, monkeys,
all lick their wounds when they can
get at them and soon effect cures.
Weir also tells of a large dog-faced
monkey who scratched his shoulder
badly on projecting nail IN his cage.
He Immediately went to a corner and,
Selling a handful of clean sawdust.
pressed it on the bleeding scratch.
In few moments the bleeding ceas-
ed and the blood dried, leaving a
coating under which the healing was
prompt"
Rev. Egerton X. Young. mis-
sionary in Northwestern Canada,
shows US that the surgical Instincts
Of the dog may become so far devel-
oped as to produce a real surgeon
doctot. One Of his dogs sponton-
eously took up this work and became
50 expert that the Indians called him
Muskeke Atm. the surgeon. Calls,
wounds, frozen feet, &, in the
other dogs were successfully and sys-
tematically treated by Dr. Rover.
The wounds or sores that could not
be reached by the dogs own tongue
did not heal. The fact SHOWS that,
in a state of health and with pure
food, the dogs saliva las perfect
bactericidal and healing power. Per-
hans il WOuld make an ideal antise-