Reviewing "Zoobiquity" Noting wealth can be naturally addictive!

Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing by Barbara Matterson-Horowitz, MD and Kathryn Bowers, New York,
Alfred A. Knopf, 2012
The conclusion of the authors (and their contributing partners from both the veterinarian and medical professions) is that we are not alone, we humans, in how we suffer and how we should be treated. Each chapter provides many stories of the way different health problems are shared between humans and different animals.

Chapter 1: Yes, “Jaguars get breast cancer…rhinos in zoos get leukemia.” Dinosaur bones show signs of brain tumors, “…gout, arthritis, stress fractures…even cancer.”
Chapter 2: We all can faint or go vagal under “…extreme emotion or fear.”
Chapter 3: We share various cancers with all kinds of animals and birds.
Chapter 4: The authors suggest that the many varieties of animal sexuality can teach us quite a bit about ourselves--like how females could “…audition males before allowing them to mate.”

Chapter 5 is a fascinating tale of why we all--humans and animals alike--are subject to addiction. Our bodies and brains “…have evolved doorways for…potent drugs.” Why?
Because evolution has provided all of us with nerves and brain chemicals that interplay to create emotions. In short, survival tactics are rewarded with hits of natural feel-good narcotics.

However, on the negative side, “…life sustaining activities, like “finding safety…happiness, foraging, eating and socializing, causes…release of…mostly dopamine…” that can be addictive. Note that “accumulating wealth” is also on that list!

We also share happiness, fear, anger, and pain--though our “…self-protective strategy may differ… Most animals don’t vocalize when they’re hurt… It’s dangerous and could attract predators…Pain management is now a priority in both human and veterinarian medicine.”

Chapter 6: We larger animals all share heart attacks, including those caused by dread and sudden panic.
Chapter 7: We all--even fish--can get too fat to be healthy.
Chapter 8: Self-injury can give us relief from stress. Even fish enjoy grooming.

The ninth chapter is entitled Fear of Feeding. Eating Disorder in the Animal Kingdon. Birds, mammals and spiders indulge in food caching, as do we.
Chapter 10 is all about our common problem with STDs. Some are shared between species via circuitous routes. The extinction of wild koalas in Australia has been threatened by an epidemic of chlamydia.

Chapter 11: Adolescence is defined in species from “…condors to Capuchin monkeys to college freshmen [as] taking risks and sometimes making mistakes.”

The authors conclude by reviewing how we share infectious agents with various animals.
This book of engaging stories includes many pointed suggestions that define how and why human physicians and veterinarians must work together to enhance patient care and solve our common medical puzzles.