182 
THE DISEASES OF ELEPHANTS. 
swallowing from ten to twenty pounds of earth. They always 
select a red-coloured earth for the purpose. In about twelve 
hours after purging commences, and all the worms come 
away. When this occurs the hard food should be stopped 
for a week, fodder only being allowed, and a ball of spices 
should be given every day. Some elephants will not eat earth 
when they require it, and they are considered a very had lot 
in consequence. I do not know how to treat them for worms. 
Should an elephant get wounded by a tiger, or otherwise, the 
places should be well cleaned and kept moistened with cold 
water. If they get foul apply Holloway’s ointment (!!). The 
mahouts have a cruel practice in such cases of heating balls 
of elephant’s dung in the fire and splitting them open, apply¬ 
ing them hot and hotter to the wounds. I believe it to he 
as useless as it is barbarous. Fomentations and rest are 
required in the rare event of a strain. 
“ The above are the commonest cases that will call for 
treatment by the elephant owner. They seldom prove fatal 
(excepting Zerbdd), hut are very troublesome when not pro¬ 
perly attended to. Besides these, elephants are subject to 
several obscure internal diseases, which fortunately are of 
very rare occurrence; but when they do occur usually prove 
fatal, from the difficulty of diagnosing or treating them. 
Among them are fever and inflammation of the internal 
organs. Bleeding can, I believe, be effected from some small 
arteries behind the ears ; but I have never seen it done. 
It would probably offer the only chance of a cure in such 
cases. 
“ Occasional injuries and complaints will give an oppor¬ 
tunity for the display of ingenuity in the application of 
remedies. One of the most singular operations of dentistry 
I ever heard of was the removal of a large excrescence on the 
back tooth of an elephant, which had grown into the poor 
brute’s cheek, and almost prevented his feeding. One of the 
best mahouts I ever knew volunteered to remove it. He got 
a good thick log of wood, and made a hole through it large 
enough for his arm to pass. Outside he covered it all over 
with nails, leaving about a quarter of an inch of each sticking 
out of the wood. The elephant was made to lie down and 
was fastened with hobbles, while the log thus prepared was 
placed in his mouth like a bit, and bound with ropes across 
his neck. Twenty or thirty persons now sat upon his head 
and trunk (if these be kept down an elephant cannot rise 
from his side), and the operator introduced his arm through 
the hole and began to saw off the protuberance. He took 
several hours to effect it, the elephant all the while lying per- 
