Introduction
It has been realized that dolphin has the ability to heal quickly soon after a shark bite. The dolphins are also able to resist infections, be protected from excessive blood and loss and restore their normal body contours after the bite. A close study has established that this can provide insights for care of human injuries resulting from different forms of accidents. The response of dolphins has provided encouraging results to scientists who are looking for the remedies and treatments of human injuries. The shark bites usually causes very big contours on the dolphins’ bodies that could be fatal to a human being. It is expected that the dolphin experiences hemorrhage however, dolphins are able to survive and resist hemorrhage.
The duration taken by the dolphins to heal is also very short. This has triggered the research by scientists to find ways how dolphins deal with such injuries which can also be applied to humans to help them in healing whenever an accident of that nature occurs.
In this study, the scientists are trying to prove if the survival tactics used by dolphins after a shark attack can be applied to humans. There have been positive responses and the study is till underway to find means and ways of dealing with such attacks. This research was conducted by Michael Zasloff, an adjunct professor at GUMC and a former Dean of Research. Zasloff interviewed several marine researchers and dolphin handlers across the world about dolphin healing. He based his interviews on the mysterious ability of the dolphins to heal. It was realized during the study that there was a lot of information about dolphin healing that went unreported hence poor documentation. In his study, he set to find out the reason why dolphins did not bleed to death after a shark bite, why the dolphins seemed not to suffer much pain, what prevented infections on the animals and the mode of restoration of the contours after a shark bite. After carrying out an extensive research on the topic, Zasloff attempted to explain the dolphin healing process and how it can be applied to humans.
Zasloff proposed diving reflex used by the dolphins so as to divert blood away from the surface of the body. If less blood was left at the surface then there would be less blood loss from the affected person. However, he did not find a tangible solution to prevent pain in the animal. He also suggested that in order to prevent infection, the use of antimicrobial compounds can help in solving the problem. He established that the dolphins’ blubber contained some toxic compounds and organohalogens which provide the microbial properties and antibiotic properties which can help in controlling the infections. The antimicrobial compounds are also necessary to prevent decomposition around the area of injury.
In order to restore the contour, he proposes a knitting mechanism whereby the existing fabrics of adipocytes, collagen and elastic fibers are used to restore the contour. He compares this mechanism with the one used by the fetus in the womb. In the research, Zasloff consulted with Whitaker as part of his research. Whitaker who is the deputy executive director for biological programs at the National Aquarium in Baltimore described the research as thought provoking.
This research is aimed at investigating the way in which the marine animals survive significant soft tissue wounds in the wild without the use of any form of antibiotic.
In the research, Dr. Zasloff investigated the case histories of two shark-bitten dolphins. The Sharks were at Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort in Moreton Island in Australia. In the report, the healing process of the two sharks is well documented and is accompanied with photos of how long it took for the two dolphins to heal after a shark bite. It is hypothesized that Dr. Zasloff’s contribution towards the healing process of Sharks can be a major contribution in the search for a remedy to fatal wounds in human beings. Dr. Zasloff says that the research he carried out will stimulate a search for remedies to the human problems especially in dealing with accidents that result into large wounds.
References
Georgetown University Medical Center (2011, July 25). Dolphins' 'remarkable' recovery from injury offers important insights for human healing. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 26, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2011/07/110721095834.htm
