The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-06-03
Animals As Surgeons.
From the Baltimore Evening News.

A party of Johns Hopkins students were
talking about Immunity recently. One
of them remarked that dogs saliva has
a perfect bactericidal and healing power,
and suggested that perhaps it would make
a good anti-septic, although it seemed that
no bacteriologist had caught the hint con-
tanned in the simple process of dog lick
ing sore, a process seen every day.
This idea was discussed generally. The
young man who first mentioned it took down
pile of old magazines, and, after diligent
search, produced clipping from medical
journal containing paper by DIR. George
NJ. Gould Here is part of it;
''When we commence observation of the
origins of medical discovery and treatment,
we are struck by the fact that our broth
ers the animals were first in learning not
little of medical art 1t has been noticed
that birds often show true surgical ln-
stinct NJ Tatio on several occasions has
killed woodeock that were when shot con-
valescing from wounds previously received,
aud In every instance found the old injury
neatly dressed with down plucked from the
stems of feathers and skillfully arranged
over the wound, evidently by the beak Of
the bird In some instances a solid plaster
was thus formed, and in others hgatures
had been applied to wounded or broken
limbs.
Ten times in his experience he has found
birds whose limbs had been broken by shot
with the fractured ends neatly approx
mated and itigated together statement
that is vouched for by no less a naturalist
than Fulbert Dumonteil.
CDR James Weir says that when bees
are attacked with diarrhoea they at once
begin to suck astringent pieces of the dog
wood, poplar, wild cherry or hickory, and
rapidly cure themselves. Their instinct
carries them so far that in winter if they
should happen to be afflicted with diarrhoea
they viii readily drink a decoction of wild
cherry if it is placed in the hive. More
ever, they seem TO know that filth is a
source of disease.
''Dr. Weir further believes that many
of the higher animals have discovered and
use bacteria medica that should be reeog-
nized BY human physicians. For instance,
dogs will seek out and devour the long
blades OF couch-grass (tritieum repens)
when they are constipated
Horses and mules will eat clay when they
have scours cattle with eczema have
been seen to plaster hooc and joint with
mud He speaks of seeing COW break
thin ice on a pond and treat her itching
joint to a mud poultice Cats will 90 miles
when they are under the weather for a
dose of catnip.
THE saliva of animals seems to have
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 large
dog faced monkey who scratched his shout
der badly on projecting nail in his cage.
He Immediately went TO a corner and, seiz-
ing handful Of clean sawdust, pressed it
on the bleeding scratch. In few mo-
ments the bleeding ceased and the blood
dried, leaving coating under which the
healing was prompt
''kev. Egerton X Dung, missionary
in Northwestern Canada, shows as that
the surgical instincts Of the dog may be-
come so FAR developed as to produce real
surgeon doctor. One of his dogs sponta-
neously took up this work aud became 50
expert that the Indians called him Mus
keke Atm, the surgeon. Calls, wounds,
frozen feet, etc, in the other dog were
successfully aud systematically treated by
Doctor Rover The wounds or sores that
could not be reached by the dogs own
tongue did not heal The fact shows that,
in state of health and with pure food,
the dog 5 saliva has perfect bacterieidal
and healing power. Perhaps it would make
an ideal antiSeptic No baeieriologist has
caught the hint