Book Review - Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes and Other Animals Heal Themselves - Princeton University Press

     There is doubtless something in the air at Emory University in Atlanta, GA that attracts Dutch scientists interested in animal behaviour. Jaap de Roode is following in the very large footsteps of Frans de Waal, who sadly passed away last year leaving a huge void in the field of animal behavioural research. Is de Roode the candidate to fill those shoes? Only time will tell.

     He has certainly made a notable start with this exceptional book investigating the myriad ways in which diverse animals across taxa self-medicate, with inherent knowledge of the plants that will act upon ailments of various kinds, and the ability to use them in a correct and beneficial fashion. This is the world of zoopharmacognosy, an expanding and increasingly respectable field of inquiry, with potential advantages in improved animal husbandry and beneficial outcomes for humans, too. With the evolved acceptance that we are not the only species capable of self-medication new avenues of pharmacology are opening up. A thorough investigation of the well-known response of a domestic cat to catnip, for example, opens up the possibility of a new mosquito repellent. 

     The book is written in a very readable style and is about story telling as much as intellectual enlightenment. The stories are the cement that binds the facts together. De Roode takes us on his personal journey in this field of research, his conclusions - and even his opinions. Consultation with many other scientists, experts in their field, are keystones to de Roode's work and we benefit from being exposed to these world class researchers; Michael A. Huffman especially springs to mind. 

     Regretfully, it is impossible in the Anthropocene to conclude a book without dwelling on the precarious state of Planet Earth and the continuing assaults we humans continue to inflict upon it. De Roode states, "Despite our short time on this planet, and our late rise to the practice of medicine, we are currently destroying other species at an alarming rate, taking away the medicine and medicinal wisdom of thousands of animals." There are glimmers of enlightenment such as pollinator gardens and restored habitat, but faced with an exponentially increasing human population with a voracious appetite for land and resources, it is hard to sustain optimism.

     This is an exceptional book that will please everyone, from lay person to scientist, from researcher to humanist, from specialist to those simply hoping for a hopeful future for their children, and for all the flora and fauna that make up the rich tapestry of life on Earth. We are daily placing it in  jeopardy. 

     In changing our ways lies our salvation.

Factual error: On page 56 House Finch is given the scientific name Carpodacus mexicanus. In fact it should be Haemorhous mexicanus, the generic reassignment having been made in August 2012.

Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves - Princeton University Press

Jaap de Roode 

Hardcover - US$27.95 - ISBN: 9780691239248

264 pages - 5.5 x 8.5 inches (13.75 x 21.25 cm)

Publication date: 04 March, 2025