The most elemental kind of surgery is that 

 which amputates a leg when it is broken, not 

 always or often, but only when the wound 

 festers from decay or fly-bite and so endan- 

 gers the whole body. Probably the best 

 illustration of this is found in the coon, who 

 has a score of traits that place him very high 

 among intelligent animals. When a coon's 

 foot is shattered by a bullet he will cut it 

 off promptly and wash the stump in running 

 water, partly to reduce the inflammation and 

 partly, no doubt, to make it perfectly clean. 

 As it heals he uses his tongue on the wound 

 freely, as a dog does, to cleanse it perhaps, 

 and by the soft massage of his tongue to 

 reduce the swelling and allay the pain. 

 jjjp. So far this may or may not be pure in- 

 stinct. For I do not know,, and who will 

 tell me, whether a child puts his wounded 

 hand to his mouth and sucks and cleanses 

 the hurt by pure instinct, or because he has 

 seen others do it, or because he has had 

 his hurts kissed away in childhood, and so 

 imitates the action unconsciously when his 

 mother is not near? 



