Doctors by Nature

How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves

By: Jaap de Roode

Narrated by: Anand Jagatia

This audiobook narrated by Anand Jagatia tells 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 behaviors 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 listeners 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.

©2025 Jaap de Roode (P)2025 Princeton University Press

Critic reviews

"[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 (David Gascoigne)

"Jaap de Roode takes the reader through a breezy and fun exploration into the complex world of animal medication."—Ed Cara, Gizmodo (Ed Cara)

"[A] highly readable, and fun book."—Marc Beckoff, Psychology Today (Marc Beckoff)

"There's so many cool stories in [this] book."—Cara Santa Maria, Talk Nerdy (Cara Santa Maria)

We owe everything to the non-human world

Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be more astounded and impressed by the wisdom and abilities of animals, I learned so much more impressive facts from this book. I hope everyone will read it and have renewed reverence for the knowledge and generosity of the plant and animal kingdoms that we owe such great debt to. Thank you for this incredible research.