Chimpanzees’ medical treatment gains scientists’ curiosity

Scientists have long known that chimpanzees sometimes use leaves or insects for medical purposes from research. Now, new research from Uganda reveals that chimpanzees can tend their wounds with “first aid”. This suggests that chimpanzees may be able to think about how to help others, as well as themselves.

have sparked the curiosity of scientists around the world. Due to their human-like nature, from similar behavior and acts, researchers have carefully studied the lives of chimpanzees in many different ways, especially their medical treatment.

Researchers combined 30 years of data and written observation, which documented 41 cases of medical care in animals. Those cases depict the medical care of chimpanzees, from licking a wound to applying chewed plants. 7 of those cases involved chimpanzees providing care to others, which strongly demonstrates the empathy of chimps, a trait that runs through humans. This discovery strongly revealed the familiar behavior between humans and chimps.

In 2021, Dr. Elodie Freymann went to Uganda to study the chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest, where she was learning more about chimpanzees’ medical treatments. She learned that chimps treat their wounds by licking and cleaning them with leaves, which has proven useful as spit and leaves can keep wounds from infections.

Additionally, Freymann wants to understand why chimps don’t always provide care to others if they have the ability. But no evidence is valid to answer this question. This unsolved question leaves scientists more curious about chimps, ready to investigate their mysterious nature.

In conclusion, chimpanzees’ human-like behavior is one of biology’s most mysterious aspects. With their clever treatments and unique personalities, they earned scientists’ attention and curiosity, which led them to investigate further.

Great work 🙂

https://newsforkids.net/articles/2025/06/04/chimps-perform-first-aid-on-each-other/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chimpanzees-perform-first-aid-on-each-other-study-finds-and-it-may-shed-light-on-the-evolution-of-human-health-care-180986625/