I know that some animals treat simple injuries by licking them. Are there any animals that, like humans, treat each other鈥檚 injuries, and do any animals have more sophisticated forms of 鈥渕edical treatment鈥�?
(Continued)
鈥� The responses you received to this question were close but did not quite hit the mark.
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I carried out the first total of human saliva, so my interest in the subject is both philosophical and scientific. The major protein present in saliva is a proline/glycine/glutamine-rich phosphoprotein which, when placed onto wounds, can cause the affected area to halve in size roughly every 24 hours. This is the major reason why animals lick their wounds.
Interestingly, studies show that if an animal is wounded and another animal of the same species is allowed to lick the wound, it likewise heals more quickly than if left alone.
Robert Henkin, Center for Molecular Nutrition and Sensory Disorders, Washington DC, US