The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-09-02
HAS 1000 PATIENTS
WHO DON'T PhY
DR.. Blair's Job at Bronx Zoo in
New York City is Full
of Excitement
DIFFICULT AND VARIED PRACTICE
Answers Hurry Calls from BENGAL
Tigers and llisators-Pulls the
Teeth Of the Python-Manicures
the Elephant.

! The doctor who has perhaps the
largest and most difficult and varied
practice of any in the city is up in the
! Bronx, says the New York Sun. He
has more than two thousand patients
who have come from all parts of the
world, and he has never received a
! fee from one Of them. He is DR.. w.
Reid Blair, who is responsible for the
health Of all the animals. reptiles
and birds in the New York Geological
Park in Bronx Park.
| Not until Dr. Blair began to make
| a systematic and statistical study OF
diseases, together with their causes,
among animals and birds did the
managers Of other ZOOS think it worth
while to do 90. though they were an
nually losing thousands OF dollars
worth Of valuable animals The bene.
fits Of the study and the work Of DR..
Blair soon became apparent, and now
the geological parks of London. Ber-
lin, Washington Philadelphia and
other cities are ESQ pursuing the
same line OF investigation. Many
theories of long standing have been
dispelled by ascertaining the actual
facts and the animal death rate has
been greatly reduced.
DR.. Blair is fond Of all his patients
and interested t. his work. He is a
mild looking man. even tempered. a
close student, and from his appear
ance one would not suspect that he
constantly associates with the wild
est Of animals and birds.
His patients never visit mis- Office.
but he treats them all at their homes.
He finds many stubborn and puzzling
cases to deal with. for frequently
when his patients need him most they
make it hardest for him. Lately some
OF them have become accustomed to
his treatment and take their pills and
medicines without its being necessary
to conceal the drugs in their food.
The difficulties Of this doctors prac-
tice may be judged when it is taken
into consideration that when he re-
ceives midnight call his patient may
be Bengal tiger an African elephant,
wolf, an ostrich or a deadly snake
from the jungle or a hungry alligator
from the tropics. Many men would
not care to take chances with a lion
or tiger even Il the animal were un-
der the influence of ether, for ne
might wake up, and then there would
surely be trouble for some one.
Dr. Blair has been treating animals
in the park for seven years and has
not yet met with a mishap. In many
instances he has had hard fights and
only succeeded in accomplishing his
purpose with the aid of dozen
strong men. He has pulled the teeth
OF the twenty-seven foot regal python.
operated for appendicitis on an orang-
outang, removed an eye from an os-
trich, cut a nine pound corn from the
foot Of an elephant and performed
other difficult operations upon buf.
falo, hippOpOtamus, kangaroo, etc He
is just now curing Gunda, the ele-
phant, OF SKIN disease.
DR.. Blair understands his patients
as few other people understand ami.
mails. He spends all his time among
them. He has various kinds of ami.
maj DdD!eS 70 take care or.
In the equipment of the geological
Park is a laboratory and a drug store.
There will shortly be added an animal
hospital that will contain an operating
room and private and public wards,
fitted with up TO date appliances.
When any animal seems to be i'll
the keeper makes report to the doc
tor and a record sheet is filled with
the name of the animal, date and
diagnosis, daily respiration, pulse and
temperature. together with the diet
and treatment. In case OF a death
there follows an autopsy. A record
is made of the condition of all the
organs.
sample block Of each organ is
hardened with paraffin and sliced into
very thin sections by the microtome.
The section is mounted on a glass
plate. stained with aniline dyes and
studied under the microscope.
Thousands of such records are filed
away. forming an invaluable record.
There are also kept many microscopic
samples of the blood of living ami.
mails showing diseased states.
This year DR.. Blair has been max.
ing special study OF pneumonia
among his patients. as this is the most
deadly disease. especially among the
primates and hoofed animals, When
new animal comes to the park the
doctor first places it in quarantine un-
I'll he is convinced that it is not suf-
fering from any contagious disease.
Altogether DR.. Blair has one of the
most interesting practices in the city
of New York.