We have a saying amongst us that goes, “When you begin to document, a secret is lost”. Whenever an object or knowledge begins to accumulate, it begins to perish. Is there a way to secure something without hoarding? There is a traditional way that we have been following since time immemorial, decentralization! A secret continues to live only as long as it spreads. We have lost and continue to lose countless values because of trade disputes. It is a period of self-reflection where we must pause for a moment and think about how much truth we’ve lost in every step of life.
The development and expansion in the field of veterinary sciences today is unparalleled. As in human medicine, veterinary medicine too has achieved many milestones in this century. And yet we are also aware of the shortcomings in this field. Livestock animals such as goats, cows, chickens, ducks, pigs, rabbits and domesticated animals such as dogs and cats are suffering from various diseases today and are being treated and saved by relevant medical methods. In big and small cities, a spread of veterinary clinics and pharmacies have made them easily accessible. But the facts point out that the situation in the villages has not yet reached the level of self-sufficiency.
For centuries, India has had a traditional knowledge of veterinary medicine and its methods. Even to this day, in villages, those methods and remedies continue to be integrated into their lives by means of oral traditions. From time immemorial, it has been our practice to find cure for any kind of ailment from plants and other compounds found around us. After Siddha, Ayurveda and Homeopathy became common medical courses, these medical methods were carried to all areas by veterinarians and veterinary nurses.
Beyond being known as a service, medicine today is a great business. That very commercialism found its footing into veterinary medicine long ago. In a moderately developed village, a veterinarian charges an average of Rs 500 to Rs 2000 as medical fees from the cow herder. For that cow herder who is also a family man it takes about five or six days to recover that amount (assuming the cow produces five liters of milk a day). He loses almost a substantial portion of his monthly income for the treatment of the cows he rears. He bears this loss with great stress. The cow is his only livelihood.
Pakiyaraj, a veterinary doctor, points out that the main reason for the high treatment costs is that we follow ‘unidimensional treatment methods’. He says that it is the responsibility of an honest doctor to integrate other traditional medical methods and oral remedies into modern medicine and deliver the necessary solution. This also applies to human medicine. As a result, we can see the treatment costs coming down significantly.
Just as how a farmer sets up his agriculture with cow dung, cow urine, and leaf mulch, similarly the practice of treating livestock diseases with the medicines one has or is able to find around should be made common. If one is unable to do so, then they can consult a veterinarian for appropriate remedies. We should avoid going to a doctor immediately and spending a lot for treating simple illnesses.
For example, sometimes after calving, a cow’s placenta does not come out. This is called retained placenta or ‘Ilangkodi Podala’ in village context. This is a common problem with dairy cows. As a remedy for this, it is customary to roast sesame seeds, crush it with jaggery and grind it into flour and feed it to the cows. It is an ancient remedy. Scientifically, sesame seeds increase estrogen, a hormone that causes uterine contractions. When this contraction is done, the cow’s placenta will fall out on its own. This is a remedy that is in use even today among cow herders. This method is not allopathic, but has an allopathic explanation behind it.
However, it is ingrained in the minds of some villagers that injections are the best form of treatment. Although allopathic doctors sometimes prescribe Siddha medicines (like Triphala churanam for digestion, etc.,) to cows, there are those who ask for needles. For the satisfaction of such simpletons, veterinarians sometimes inject cows with glucose at a spot that causes them no harm. That’s when the cow herders find some relief. Sometimes, doctors are faced with the pressure of satisfying the men who bring in their cows for treatment rather than the cows themselves. This unusual situation points towards the need for an understanding between veterinarians and animal breeders.
There are many natural remedies for inflamed udders. For example, if you take an inch of unpeeled aloe vera, two palm fulls of turmeric powder, and a betel nut size quantity of slaked lime and grind it all together to form a lacquer-colored mixture. Mix the paste in water (dripping consistency). Rub and clean the udder with coconut fiber and after milking from all four teats, cover the udder thoroughly with the paste. This must be followed for a week. From the fourth day the swelling will start to subside. This is a 100% effective remedy.
As far as treatment for humans or animals goes, there are two major methods. Preventive and corrective action. Prevention of a disease before it occurs is accomplished by vaccines. Allopathic medicine has made a strong contribution here. Medicines for ulcers in cattle are now manufactured in the form of sprays in allopathic medicine. This modernity is catching up with those who hesitate to touch the festering wounds while applying the ointment. This time we cannot avoid this method as wrong entirely. Where one treatment cannot, another fills its place.
The basic goals of a medicine are: easy availability, affordable fees and complete solution. Compulsively following only allopathy or naturopathy tends to create a sense of hopelessness and loss of money at some point. In this way, we can see that veterinary medicine is a combination of different types of medicines and therefore we can see a significant reduction in its cost. The fact that hospitals that provide complete care in cost-effective ways to the villagers are yet to come up points to the gap in our development.
Imagine a hospital that treats in both traditional and modern ways, that is also easily accessible to the villagers… it can reduce so many losses on both sides. Just as how Aravind Eye Hospital sets up primary clinics in every village to conduct eye examinations and transfer patients to hospitals if required,… a primary treatment center should also be set up for livestock.
Just as how Abhay Bang and Rani Bang combined traditional native medicine with modern allopathic medicine and greatly reduced the mortality rate of children, so too…a combination of traditional and modern medicine should be developed for livestock, domesticated animals and pets. If such an endeavor is accomplished, we will be able to expand our traditional medicinal practices and scientifically document and demonstrate them to the outside world.
Keeping all this in mind, we are starting a ‘Mobile Veterinary Clinic’ as a present day activity through Cuckoo Children’s Space. Under this scheme, a vehicle with a doctor, a nurse and medical equipment will travel to villages as a mobile hospital for veterinary treatment. Initially, it will operate on weekends – Saturdays and Sundays. Depending on the demand and cooperation, the program will be extended to other days.
This treatment program has been developed with the intention of reducing the loss of income among villagers who raise livestock such as goats, cows, chickens and pigs for their livelihood, and also for pet owners to raise them without incurring too much cost and to reduce the unnecessary losses among the common people. The main aim of the program is to provide the right kind of treatment wherever needed by combining traditional and modern methods. Steps have also been taken to address the shortcomings as and when they arise and renew the process without interruptions. There is also a sub-scheme through which a phone number is allocated and medical advice for primary care is made available through it.
There is no fixed fee for this mobile veterinary clinic. Cuckoo Forest Hospital does not charge any fees for treatment. Only one money bank is kept. Those who come in for treatment will pay what they can and leave. A few of them give us some of the vegetables grown in their farm for food. Similarly, at this mobile animal center, villagers can donate what they can towards medical treatment. Or they can give a portion of their vegetables or agricultural produce in return. They can give whatever their heart decides. We want the economics of this to function as a barter system on a small scale.
The program was born out of Cuckoo Conversations. The Doctors (Wildlife – Veterinary) who took part in Cuckoo Conversations have taken responsibility for the organization of this project. Requests for procuring vehicles and medical equipment have been made with friends and acquaintances. Let’s hope that the grace that shines in the eyes of the helpless beings will help us accomplish this project!
This ‘Mobile Veterinary Center’ project was launched with the voice and blessings of social activist and doctor Prakash Amte (Baba Amte’s son) during the Cuckoo live conversations held on May 31, 2020. He has received Padma Shri and Ramon Magsaysay awards for his social work. We are heartened to have launched the Mobile Veterinary Hospital with the congratulatory voice of India’s foremost social personality. At this moment, we are grateful to Veterinarian Bhakyaraj and his medical friends, Homeopathic doctors Vellaichami, Siddha doctors Muthuchami, Thyagaran and Narmada who are supporting this project.
Even today, we can see elders in the villages pressing the leaves of the tridax daisy plants (Tridax procumbens) over wounds sustained during work or play. Some of us may have experienced it. The blood clots in the wound within minutes. In this manner, thousands of remedies for humans and animals have been passed down from generation to generation. For a society that is looking for answers on the digital medium, we will have to deliver this knowledge in that form as well. This journey will make that possible.
Binding the mouth of a young calf with a guard so it doesn’t lick the soil, setting up a black-stone water trough for the calf to lick the water out of it and to clear its bile on its own, pouring soapy water into the mouth of a dog that’s frothing, loosening the nose string, inserting the rib of a neem leaf into the rotting teet of the udder, applying neem oil on the spot bitten by fleas … Thus to launch this project, we pray to the graceful wisdom of the elders who have for generations protected and kept alive the knowledge of medicinal remedies for the animals.
May the divine light that has enlightened many actions, guide this too!
