Next in order of extent to our morphological knowledge of these
organisms is that of their behavior, mental life, and social relations.
But certainly no one who is conversant with the behavioristic,
psychological and sociological literature could do otherwise than
emphasize its incompleteness and inadequacy. For our knowledge of
behavior has come mostly from naturalistic observation, scarcely at all
from experimentation; our knowledge of social relations is obviously
meager and of uncertain value; and finally, our knowledge of mind is
barely more than a collection of carelessly drawn inferences.
This picture of the status of scientific work on the primates, although
not overdrawn, will doubtless surprise many readers, and even the
biologist may find himself wondering why we are so ignorant concerning
the lives of the organisms most nearly akin to us, and naturally of
deepest interest to us. The reasons are not far to seek. Most scientific
investigators are forced by circumstances to work with organisms which
are readily obtained and easily kept. The primates have neither of these
advantages, for many, if not most of them, are expensive to get and
either difficult or expensive to keep in good condition. Clearly, then,
our ignorance is due not to lack of appreciation of the scientific value
of primate research but instead to its difficultness and costliness.
Strangely enough, the practical importance of knowledge of the primates
has seldom been dwelt upon even by those biologists who are especially
interested in it. It is, therefore, appropriate to emphasize the
strictly human value of the work for which I am seeking provision.
During the past few years it has been abundantly and convincingly
demonstrated that knowledge of other organisms may aid directly in the
solution of many of the problems of experimental medicine, of
physiology, genetics, psychology, sociology, and economics. In the light
of these results, it is obviously desirable that all studies of
infrahuman organisms, but especially those of the various primates,
should be made to contribute to the solution of our human problems.
To me it seems that thoroughgoing knowledge of the lives of the
infrahuman primates would inevitably make for human betterment. Through
the science of genetics, as advanced by experimental studies of the
monkeys and anthropoid apes, practical eugenic procedures should be more
safely based and our ability to predict organic phenomena greatly
increased. Similarly, intensive knowledge of the diseases of the other
primates in their relations to human diseases should contribute
importantly to human welfare. And finally, our careful studies of the
fundamental instincts, forms of habit formation, and social relations in
the monkeys and apes should lead to radical improvements in our
educational methods as well as in other forms of social service.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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