The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-09
ANIMALS AS SURGEONS.
Birds Set Broken Legs, and Bees and
 Cattle Understand Medicine.

From the Baltimore News.
 A party of Johns Hopkins students were talking about Immunity last night. One of them remarked that a dogs saliva has a perfect bactericidal and healing power and suggested that perhaps it would make a good antiseptc although it seemed that no bacteriolo- gist had caught the hint contained in the simple process of a dogs licking sore, a process seen every day.
 This idea was discussed generally. The young man who first mentioned it took down a pile of old magazines, and after diligent search produced clipping from a medical journal containing paper by Dr. George M. Gould. Here is a part of it.
 .'When we commence observation of the origin of medical discovery and treat ment we are struck by the fact that our brothers the animals were first in learning not little of medical art. It has been noticed that birds often show a true surgical instinct M. Tatio on several occasions has killed woodcock that were, when shot, convalescing from wounds previously received, and 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 birds.
 .sIn some instances solid plaster was thus formed, and in others lgatures had been arplied 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 approximated and ltigated to- gether-a statement that is vouched for by no less a naturalist than Fubert Du- monteil.
 .'Dr. 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 in stinct carries them so far that in winter if they should happen to be afflicted they will readily drink a decoction of wild cherry if it is placed in the hive. More over 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 a materia medlca that should be recognized by human physicians For instance. dogs will seek out and devour the long blades of couch-grass (triticum repens) when they are consupated; horses and mules will eat clay when they have SCOUTS; cattle with eczema have been seen to plaster hoof and joint with mud. He speaks of seeing COW break thin ice on a pound and treat her itch ing joint to mud poultice. Cats will go 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 a large dog-faced monkey who scratched his shoulder badly on projecting nail in his cage He immediately went to corner and, sezing handful of clean sawdust, pressed 1t on the bleeding scratch. Tn faw moments the bleeding ceased and the bfeed dried. leaving coating under which the, healing was prompt.
 ''Rev Egerton R. Young. missionary in Northwestern Canada shows us that the surgical instincts of the dog may be- come so far developed as to produce a real surgeon-doctor. One of his dogs spontaneously took up this work and be- came so expert that the Indians called him Muskeke Atim, the surgeon. Calls wounds, frozen feet. etc., in the other dogs were successfully and systemati- cally treated by Dr. Rover. The wounds or sores that could not be reached by the dogs own tongue did not heel The fact shows that, in state of health and with pure food, the dog s saliva has a bactericidal and healing power Perhaps it would make an ideal antiseptic. No bacteriologist has caught the hint"