Since the bodies of animals are composed of the four elements, and have in them four contrary qualities, which are cold and heat, moisture and dryness, it is necessary that they be mortal and subject to diverse illnesses like ours. For, when the proportion that these four qualities have among themselves, in which health consists, is a little distempered, illness immediately follows. Men for remedy of their ailments have reason, and with it they have discovered with many labors and experiences the science of medicine. But, since this reason is lacking to the brutes, that most perfect providence supplied this lack, which, although it shines forth much in all the things that until here we have said, is seen much more clearly in this one, since animals know by special instinct of God more than men have attained with study and labor of many years, since there are many illnesses for which physicians have not found remedy, and animals suffer none for which they do not find it, because they are guided and taught by a better master. For which reason it is not to be marveled that they were our teachers in some medicines that we learned from them. The virtue of celandine for curing the eyes the swallow teaches us, which, taught by its Creator, seeks this herb to cure the sick or blind eyes of its little young, and that of fennel, which serves for the same, we learned from the serpents, which with it cure their own. The medicine so common of clysters the ibis showed us, a bird similar to the stork, which, feeling
its belly loaded, fills the beak with salt water, and this serves it as clyster with which it purges itself. Bloodletting we learned from the sea horse, which in the Greek tongue is called hippopotamus, which, feeling itself sick, goes to a newly cut cane-brake, and with the sharpest point that it finds, bleeds itself, as Pliny refers, in a vein of the leg. But what remedy in order not to bleed itself wholly out? I believe that all our wit will not know how to give remedy to this. But this animal knows it, taught by that highest providence that fails in nothing. For it goes to roll itself in some muddy place, and the mud that sticks to the wound serves it as a bandage to stop the blood. Therefore what other teacher taught the pig, being sick, to go to the coast of the sea to seek a crab to cure its illness? What other taught the tortoise, when it ate some viper, to seek oregano in order to drive the poison from itself? And what is more admirable, who else taught the wild goats of Candia to eat the herb dittany, in order to drive from themselves the crossbowman’s arrow? If it were to cure the wound, I would not marvel so much, but that there be an herb powerful to drive from the body a span of arrow fixed in it, this is work of the Creator, who wished to provide remedy for this animal so harried by the huntsmen.
Therefore the dog, when it is very full of choleric humor, if it does not cure itself, comes to go mad, but divine providence, which has care of it and of us, taught it an herb that is born in the hedges, which serves it as very fine rhubarb, since by it it expels by vomit all the choler that it had. And if it receives some wound, it has no need of more plaster than its tongue, because if with it it manages to lick it, it has no need of more surgeon. The weasel, wounded in the battle that it has with mice, cures itself with rue, the boars with ivy. The bear, finding itself sick because it has eaten a poisonous herb, which is called mandrake, cures itself by eating ants. Who could believe that an animal of so great a body could be cured with a thing so small as ants are? But in all things, however small they may be, the Creator placed his virtue, who made nothing in vain. Nor did he leave the dragon, though being an animal so abominable and harmful, without medicine, because feeling itself sick, in place of rhubarb, it cures itself with the juice of wild lettuces. And no less harmful nor fierce is the leopard, which has human dung for medicine. Cleaner medicine is that of partridges and rooks and wood pigeons, which cure themselves by eating leaves of laurel. All the aforesaid is from Pliny, in the eighth book.
Of dogs Albertus Magnus says that, when they feel worms in themselves, they cure themselves by eating wheat in blade. And he himself says that the stork, feeling itself wounded, puts oregano on the sore, and thus heals. By these examples we shall understand that the Creator left no illness of animals without remedy, since all his works are finished and perfect. The common herbs with which men cure themselves are agaric and rhubarb, but animals, for each illness, have their proper herb or medicine, because this variety of remedies discovers more the wisdom of the Proto-physician of the world. Nor either is it a new thing, but very everyday, for cats to seek other herbs with which they purge and relieve themselves, when they find themselves loaded and ailing. The lion by his great forces, and the dolphin of the sea by his great swiftness, are called kings, that one of the animals of the earth, and this one of the fishes of the sea. And divine providence ordered both to have one same medicine for curing themselves, because the lion, when he falls ill, cures himself by eating the flesh of the ape of the earth, and the dolphin with another lineage of ape that there is in the sea. The she-bear also, as Saint Ambrose refers, when she is wounded seeks an herb that in the Greek tongue is called plomos,
and with only touching the wound with it, heals. Nor either was medicine to cure herself to be lacking to the fox, since she knows so much in other things, and this, the same saint says, is the gum of the pine, with which she cures her ailment.
To this purpose of medicine belongs the changing of places, which both birds and fish seek for the conservation of their health. In a certain place of Portugal neighboring the sea, which is called Our Lady do Cabo, there gathers in the month of September a great multitude of diverse little birds, in order to pass into Africa to have there the more temperate winter. And by this occasion the hunters come there, and with little industry take a great number of them. And it is a thing to note that, as good and faithful companions, they wait for one another to make that journey together. And the winter past, they flee from the heats of Africa and return to the more temperate airs of Spain.
The same in their manner do many differences of fish in the sea, changing places, especially when they go to spawn, because for this more benign seas and heavens and airs are necessary. And for this many differences of fish gather and come together from diverse parts, and all travel together like a great army, and go to the Euxine Sea, which is on the band of the north, to pass there with their children the more temperate summer. Upon which Saint Ambrose exclaims, saying: “Who taught the fish these places and these times, and gave them these commandments and laws? Who taught them this order of traveling, and signaled to them the times and terms in which they had to return? Men have their emperor, whose commandment they await, and he sends his edicts and royal provisions so that all the people of war may gather on such a day in such a place and, with all this, many of those called are lacking. Therefore what emperor gave the fish this commandment? What master taught them this discipline? What guides do they have to go this path without erring? I recognize in this work who the emperor is, who by divine disposition notifies to the senses of all these animals this his commandment, and without words teaches the mute the order of this discipline, because his providence not only penetrates and reaches to great things, but also to the very small.” Thus far Ambrose.
The same Saint refers another memorable thing, with which this that we have just said is declared more, which is that there is nothing so small that it is deprived of this benefit of divine providence. He says, then, that “the sea urchin, which is a little fish, in time of fair weather, by the instinct that the Creator gave it, knows that there is to be a storm, and thus repairs itself for it. But in what manner? O marvelous virtue of the Creator! It ballasts itself in this time, taking a stone in the mouth so that the waves cannot so easily play with it from one part to another. Seeing which the sailors, understanding by this fish what by themselves they did not attain, also repair themselves, and prepare the anchors with all the rest
to withstand the storm. Therefore what mathematician, what astrologer, what Chaldean can thus know the course of the stars and the movements and signs of heaven as this little fish? With what acuteness of wit did it attain this, or from what master did it learn it? Who was the interpreter of this omen? Many times men by the changes of the airs divine that of the times, and many times they are deceived, but this urchin is never deceived, nor are the signs that move it false. Therefore by what way did this fish attain so much wisdom, that it divines things to come? Therefore when this little animal is more vile, so much the more does it declare to us that this knowledge was given to it by divine providence. For if it is she who clothes with so much beauty the flowers of the field, if she gave that so great ability to the spiders to weave their web, what marvel is it to have given to this little fish knowledge of what is to come? For she forgets nothing, there is none that she does not provide for. He who provides all things sees all. He who made all things with highest wisdom fills all things with his wisdom.” What has been said is from Saint Ambrose.
I well know that birds also divine storms, because sea ravens and gulls, which naturally delight in the high sea, divining the tempest like this urchin, take shelter on the beach, where they are more secure. And the herons also, which delight in lagoons of water, on whose fish they maintain themselves, suspect the great rains and tempests of the air, from which they free themselves by flying above the clouds, where the heaven and the air is serene. But with all this I made more account of the example of this urchin, because the more vile this little fish is, and the more artful the means by which it repairs itself, so much the more does it discover to us the wisdom and providence of the Creator, who wishes that in all things we may see and reverence and glorify it, as those sovereign spirits do who perpetually are praising the Creator, saying that the heavens and the earth are full of his glory, because all that in them there is are works of his hands, witnesses of his glory, preachers of his praises, and all discover to us his goodness and wisdom and providence, which is so universal and so perfect that to no creature, however small it may be, does it fail, with which they invite us to love, serve, and glorify him who by so many ways wished to give himself to be known to us.