Doctors by Nature

How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves

Jaap de Roode

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Hardback

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English

Princeton University Press
04 March 2025

Zoology & animal sciences; Animal behaviour; Applied ecology

The astonishing story of how animals use medicine and what it can teach us about healing ourselves

Ages before the dawn of modern medicine, wild animals were harnessing the power of nature's pharmacy to heal themselves. Doctors by Nature reveals what researchers are now learning about the medical wonders of the animal world. In this visionary book, Jaap de Roode argues that we have underestimated the healing potential of nature for too long and shows how the study of self-medicating animals could impact the practice of human medicine.

Drawing on illuminating interviews with leading scientists from around the globe as well as his own pioneering research on monarch butterflies, de Roode demonstrates how animals of all kinds

from ants to apes, from bees to bears, and from cats to caterpillars

use various forms of medicine to treat their own ailments and those of their relatives. We meet apes that swallow leaves to dislodge worms, sparrows that use cigarette butts to repel parasites, and bees that incorporate sticky resin into their hives to combat pathogens. De Roode asks whether these astonishing behaviours are learned or innate and explains why, now more than ever, we need to apply the lessons from medicating animals

it can pave the way for healthier livestock, more sustainable habitats for wild pollinators, and a host of other benefits.

Doctors by Nature takes readers into a realm often thought to be the exclusive domain of humans, exploring how scientists are turning to the medical knowledge of the animal kingdom to improve agriculture, create better lives for our pets, and develop new pharmaceutical drugs.

By: Jaap de Roode
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm,
ISBN: 9780691239248
ISBN 10: 069123924X
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 04 March 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jaap de Roode is Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Biology at Emory University, where he is director of the Infectious Diseases across Scales Training Program, which trains graduate students in interdisciplinary science to study and control infectious disease.

Reviews for Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves

""The book invites deeper reflection on what it means to medicate, how landscapes shape access to medicine, and whether we humans are as discerning in our self-medicating choices as our nonhuman counterparts. . . . It raises new questions about the relationship between medicine, behavior, and environment.""---John M. Drake, Science ""Jaap de Roode takes the reader through a breezy and fun exploration into the complex world of animal medication.""---Ed Cara, Gizmodo ""There's so many cool stories in [this] book.""---Cara Santa Maria, Talk Nerdy ""A fantastic read. I devoured [this book] in a day.""---Cassandra Quave, Foodie Pharmacology ""[A] highly readable, and fun book.""---Marc Beckoff, Psychology Today ""A fantastic book.""---Ashley Frasca, Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca ""[An] exceptional book investigating the myriad ways in which diverse animals across taxa self-medicate. . . . The book is written in a very readable style and is about story telling as much as intellectual enlightenment.""---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds