For an ordinary person, a rat is a dirty, dangerous and sick animal. She tops the list of the most hated creatures in society. But rats are very intelligent and highly trainable. animals. And in the near future, they can provide an invaluable service to all of humanity.
Experiments with giant Gambian marsupial rats have been carried out in Tanzania for several years. Initially, humans decided to use the exceptional olfactory capabilities of rats. After numerous wars and local conflicts in Africa, there is a huge number of minefields and unexploded ordnance. Agile rodents were also involved in demining them.
Initially, rats are trained according to the Pavlov method. The rats are syringe-fed. Gradually feeding and clicking is combined with the smell of explosives. After some time of training, the rats develop a reflex, and upon clicking, the rat tries to find a substance with the smell of TNT or plastid. The rodent has a stereo sense of smell and is able to identify the source of an odor in 50 milliseconds with 80% accuracy.
But scientists have gone even further. And now they are being tested to determine the Koch's bacillus in human saliva. In a few minutes, the rat processes several dozen saliva samples. The results of the experiments already prove the accuracy of this method, but it is too early to talk about the introduction of this method into medical practice.
Modern medicine in Russia still uses the Mantoux method, fluorography and blood tests. However, none of these methods give a 100% reliable result. And not infrequently there are cases when a healthy person is treated for tuberculosis with very harmful drugs.
Of course, it is very difficult to imagine that a cage with African animals will soon appear in Russian hospitals instead of expensive equipment. But the unique capabilities of these animals can be used in various fields of science and technology, especially in places of infection and increased danger, where there is a risk to human life.
