336 AisnsnjAL report Smithsonian institution, 1941 



water, but without opportunity to dry themselves. This often results 

 fatally. 



Exterior handles should be provided on shipping crates so that 

 transportation crews will have no difficulty handling the containers. 

 Express charges are by weight, so shipping containers should be as 

 light as possible consistent with strength and adequate size. 



MEDICAL AND SURGICAL CARE 



In spite of the extensive studies that have been made of human ail- 

 ments by the medical and allied professions, much remains to be 

 learned about these ailments, and how they should be treated. It 

 should be borne in mind that great numbers of people, with vast 

 resources at their command, have participated in these studies, and 

 their subjects — other human beings — have been able to cooperate with 

 the research workers by telling of their ailments and otherwise facili- 

 tating the study. With wild animals the problem is radically dif- 

 ferent. We must assume that they are subject to more or less the same 

 general types of ailments that their human relatives suffer; but, nat- 

 urally, every one of the thousands of different kinds of animals has 

 its own particular reactions to its own particular ailments. 



Very little has been done in the stud}^ of animal diseases, except as 

 to fur-bearing and domesticated species. Because the subjects cannot 

 cooperate by describing their symptoms we must assume, for all prac- 

 tical purposes, that we know very little about the details of their ail- 

 ments, and the precise medical and surgical treatment that should be 

 given. This emphasizes the importance of preventive measures to 

 keep captive animals fit, rather than depending on medical or surgical 

 treatment after ill health has set in. Proper feeding and the preven- 

 tion of undue exposure to contagion or injury will go far in helping 

 us toward the desired goal. 



Evidences of ill health should be constantly watched for, and any 

 unusual condition should be carefully observed. Diarrhea, constipa- 

 tion, failure to eat, excessive thirst, dullness of the eyes, unusual 

 lethargy, and convulsions are indications that something is wrong. 

 Other symptoms, such as purulent discharges from the eyes and nose, 

 rapid or labored breathing, ragged or rough-appearing pelage and 

 plumage should also be looked for. A trained observer can use these 

 various symptoms as guides to the probable nature of the disease. 



A few treatments are now fairly well known, and can usually be 

 applied safely by competent veterinarians with fair chances of suc- 

 cess. Medicines should ordinarily be given only by veterinarians. 

 Sometimes, however, physicians will give advice when a veterinarian 

 is not available. 



