DOCTORS BY NATURE

The astonishing story of how animals use medicine and what it can teach us about healing ourselvesAges before the dawn of modern medicine wild animals were harnessing the power of nature s pharmacy to heal themselves Doctors by Nature reveals what researchers are now learning about the medical wonders of the animal world In this visionary book Jaap de Roode argues that we have underestimated the healing potential of nature for too long and shows how the study of self medicating animals could impact the practice of human medicine Drawing on illuminating interviews with leading scientists from around the globe as well as his own pioneering research on monarch butterflies de Roode demonstrates how animals of all kinds from ants to apes from bees to bears and from cats to caterpillars use various forms of medicine to treat their own ailments and those of their relatives We meet apes that swallow leaves to dislodge worms sparrows that use cigarette butts to repel parasites and bees that incorporate sticky resin into their hives to combat pathogens De Roode asks whether these astonishing behaviors are learned or innate and explains why now more than ever we need to apply the lessons from medicating animals it can pave the way for healthier livestock more susta