1022 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



APPLYING THE CHEST-JACKET 

 A case of broncho-pneumonia. 



persecution, but the forceps no sooner touched 

 the tormenting object, than she relaxed com- 

 pletely and the bone was removed with 

 ridiculous ease. She abandoned herself abso- 

 lutely to the joy of the release from her 

 misery, lay quietly on the floor of the car while 

 the rope was slipped over her head and when 

 the car was rolled back to her quarters, walked 

 out placidly and stretched herself on the 

 floor, perfectly at ease. 



These are exceptional cases: the majority 

 of the hoofed animals struggle desperately if 

 confinement is attempted, and all of the cats 

 are extremely savage when sick, and resent 

 interference with correspondingly increased 

 vigor. 



To overpower a large animal is a prob- 

 lem that presents more difficulty. If it is a 

 quadruped with long, thin, fragile legs, there 

 is great danger of fracturing some delicate 

 bone. Should it be necessary to capture any 

 of the deer to treat a fractured leg, the method 

 of procedure becomes of necessity a most 

 trying one. The doctor is then confronted 

 with the possible after effect upon the high 

 strung nervous organism, and such added in- 



jury to the already wounded member as 

 might eventually render the case hopeless. 



In this respect the doctor of human medi- 

 cine has a decided advantage: the nearly com- 

 plete submission of his patient, already 

 dazed from shock. Once the animal is in hand, 

 the reduction of the fracture and its encase- 

 ment in a plaster-of-paris splint is speedily 

 accomplished. Usually the recovery is rapid, 

 since the animal experiences no brain im- 

 pulse other than the sense of pain. 



After the preliminary shock, the patient 

 treats the situation with stoical submission and 

 that is the end of the matter. 



Each keeper unconsciously learns the tem- 

 perament of his charges, and as these various 

 necessities occur, his skill and knowledge in 

 a great measure have an important bearing 

 upon the preliminary work. It would aston- 

 ish the layman to observe the quiet ease and 

 the despatch with which these cases are 

 handled. 



Deer are crated and shipped in great num- 

 bers yearly, and ninety-nine per cent of them 

 leave the Zoological Park without a scratch; 

 and our deer have sufficient liberty to cause 

 an abundance of trouble in any but skilful 

 hands. 



Should the animal which needs the doctor's 

 attention be large and capable of exerting 

 strong, physical opposition, even though of 

 placid disposition, delicacy of handling is 

 out of the question. Even if the patient is 

 docile, any attempt to place it in a position 

 other than the one it chooses to assume is 



A CHIMPANZEE DENTAL PATIENT 

 The great apes submit to this trying operation 

 without protest. 



