Abstract
THE birth of a chimpanzee, at the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London on February 15, is an event worthy of record; and it shows, in no uncertain way, how carefully the well-being of the great apes is studied at the Gardens. The mother, and her daughter, we are told, are doing well. Dr. Wyatt, of St. Thomas's Hospital, and Dr. G. M. Vevers, a member of the staff of the Society, missed no opportunity of studying all the phases of pregnancy, from the time that it was detected until the birth took place. The period of gestation was 250 days. The period of labour Dr. Wyatt describes as precisely similar to that of the human being. A detailed account of the birth is to be given in the next issue of the Proceedings of the Society. A deficiency of calcium being suspected, the prospective mother was given regular supplies of ‘Micklefield irradiated milk’. This is prepared by passing fresh milk, in a thin film, under ultra-violet rays; a process which results in an increase of the vitamin D content of the milk; thus making the lime-salts in it more easily assimilated.
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Birth of a Chimpanzee at the London Zoo. Nature 135, 368 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135368a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135368a0