Gorilla Pathology and Health

With a Catalogue of Preserved Materials

John E Cooper, Gordon Hull

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780128020395
• eBook ISBN: 9780128020852
• Topic: Technik & Maschinenbau
• Subtopic: Tierhaltung

Gorilla Pathology and Health: With a Catalogue of Preserved Materials consists of two cross-referenced parts. The first, the book itself, is a review of pathological changes and tissue responses in gorillas (Gorilla gorilla and G. beringei), with an emphasis on free-living animals, but also with reference to those in captivity. The comparative aspects are discussed, stressing the relevance of research to both gorillas and humans. What makes the publication truly unique, however, is the second part, a comprehensive descriptive catalogue of the location and nature of gorilla material in museums and scientific institutions throughout the world. This is of great consequence because free-living gorillas are strictly conserved with restricted access, so the location of a wealth of preserved tissues and other material that has been collected over the decades is a great benefit for research and study.This book can, and should, be used to gain cardinal knowledge regarding the biology and pathology of this genus. The combination of book and catalogue in this extensive compilation makes it an invaluable tool for all those concerned with the health, welfare, and conservation of gorillas, one of our nearest living relatives.- Brings together studies, data, and clinical practice from difficult-to-access or obscure journals and NGO reports, in different languages, for all interested parties and practitioners- Provides perspectives on existing research in gorilla pathology, both for those studying conservation practices and those seeking an understanding of comparable diseases in humans- Includes illustrative figures on gross and microscopic pathological changes, museum specimens, photos of field necropsy and techniques, and examples of laboratory tests- Features an extensive list of references and further reading, in different languages- Incorporates a comprehensive, descriptive catalogue of gorilla material from around the world

Part I

Gorilla Pathology and Health

Outline

• Chapter 1 The Genus Gorilla – Morphology, Anatomy and the Path to Pathology
• Chapter 2 The Growth of Studies on Primate Pathology
• Chapter 3 Infectious Disease and Host Responses
• Chapter 4 Noninfectious Disease and Host Responses
• Chapter 5 Methods of Investigation – Observation, Clinical Examination and Health Monitoring
• Chapter 6 Methods of Investigation – Postmortem Examination
• Chapter 7 Methods of Investigation – Sampling and Laboratory Tests
• Chapter 8 Nonspecific Pathology
• Chapter 9 Skin and Integument
• Chapter 10 Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems
• Chapter 11 Alimentary Tract and Associated Organs
• Chapter 12 Lymphoreticular and Haemopoietic Systems and Allergic Conditions
• Chapter 13 Urinary and Reproductive Systems
• Chapter 14 Musculoskeletal System
• Chapter 15 Nervous System and Special Senses
• Chapter 16 Endocrinological and Associated Conditions
• Chapter 17 Field Studies in Pathology and Health Monitoring
• Chapter 18 Legal Considerations
• Chapter 19 Pathology, Health and Conservation – The Way Forward

Chapter 1

The Genus Gorilla – Morphology, Anatomy and the Path to Pathology

John E. Cooper

Abstract

The animal that we know as the gorilla was first recognised by scientists only a little over 150 years ago. Since then interest in it, both for its own sake and because of what it may teach us about the origins and evolution of humans, has burgeoned. Research on the genus was initially focused on anatomy, building on the foundations built up by Galen, Vesalius and many enlightened Arab scholars. All this helped catalyse comparative studies on both extinct and extant hominins. Both free-living and captive gorillas provide opportunities for study and scientists from different disciplines can contribute. The chapter concludes with a section explaining the purpose and orientation of the book and the correct use of medical terminology.

Keywords

Gorilla; evolution; Homo; anatomy; comparative studies; terminology

I have found the existence of an animal of an extraordinary character in this locality and which I have reason to believe is unknown to the naturalist.

Thomas Savage (1847), letter to Richard Owen

Introduction

The animal that we now know as a lowland or mountain gorilla, Gorilla gorilla or Gorilla beringei, was not recognised by scientists until halfway through the 19th century. In 1847 Thomas S. Savage, an American medical missionary, then based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, was sent some skeletal remains from Gabon. They were thought to be from a new species of chimpanzee. As a result of careful examination of these bones, Savage and Wyman (1847) published an account of ‘the external characters and habits of Troglodytes gorilla, a new species of orang from the Gaboon River’. As explained in the Introduction to Part II: A Catalogue of Preserved Materials, Savage and Wyman gave the animal the generic name Troglodytes because they mistakenly believed that it was a new species of chimpanzee, then known as Troglodytes niger, and gorilla because they surmised that the creature seen on the coast of West Africa in the 6th century BC by Hanno, the Carthaginian navigator and described in his Periplus of Hanno was ‘probably one of the species of the Orang’.

The next stage in unravelling the taxonomic status and anatomical features of the gorilla followed dissections by Richard Owen (Fig. 1.1) of specimens he received at the British Museum, which enabled him to publish his ‘Memoir on the Gorilla (Troglodytes gorilla, Savage)’ (Owen, 1865). Owen went about obtaining specimens of his own via Samuel Stutchbury, Curator of the museum of the Bristol Institution for the Advancement of Science, Literature and the Arts, who encouraged the captains of ships to procure specimens on their travels. Work in France by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris led to the removal of the gorilla from the genus Troglodytes and the introduction of the genus Gorilla (Geoffroy St Hilaire, 1852, 1853).

Figure 1.1 The bust of Richard Owen at the Royal College of Surgeons of England survived the London blitz, and remains as a testimony to his work. Image courtesy of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Specimens obtained by brave hunters – who quickly discovered that gorillas are not invulnerable to bullets – that reached Europe as skins, skeletons or cadavers, provided much information about the gorilla’s structure.

This sequence of events illustrates well how the discovery of a new taxon starts with observations and individual reports, usually of varying accuracy, that describe the basic morphology of the animal – in the case of Hanno’s ‘savage people, the greater part of whom were women, whose bodies were hairy’. Morphology concerns the form, the visible shape or configuration, of an organism without necessarily any handling or physical investigation. The next step in the case of the gorilla – and, indeed, other new species also, was anatomical study. This usually comprises dissection, attempting to link structure with function and classifying the animal(s) on the basis of anatomy and, nowadays, molecular tests.

In 1965, a century after the ‘discovery’ of the gorilla, in his Inaugural Lecture as Professor of Zoology at Imperial College, London, H. R. Hewer tracked the history and development of zoological science from Aristotle (384–322 BC) to the mid-20th century. He described taxonomy, morphology and anatomy as the ‘older branches of zoology’, that laid the foundations for the development of new disciplines such as embryology and ecology – and on to molecular biology and genetics.

So what is the relevance of Hewer’s vision of zoology in the new millennium to the pathology and health of gorillas? His ‘Tree of Zoology’ is an important reminder of the importance of the inter-relatedness of the different disciplines and of how advances in one can provide a ready and accessible bridge to the others. In the context of this book, the message is that morphological and anatomical studies on the gorilla have provided essential information as to what is ‘normal’ in gorillas and thereby paved the way to understanding what is ‘abnormal’ – the basis of pathology. An appreciation of pathology and the pathogenesis of disease furnishes in turn a framework for scientifically (‘evidence’) based medical and surgical interventions and for comprehensive health surveillance of these animals, both in the wild and in captivity.

It is important also to remember that a knowledge of the basic biology – alas, so often neglected in teaching nowadays in favour of modern molecular science and ‘problem-based learning’ – remains a vital tenet to working with live or dead whole animals. In Thomas Huxley’s book The Crayfish (1879), he famously stated ‘For, whoever will follow its pages, crayfish in hand … will find himself brought face to face with all the great zoological questions … by completing the history of one group of animals, secure the foundation of the whole of biological science’. In contrast, this book is concerned with only one genus, Gorilla, which comprises two extant species, G. gorilla and G. beringei, but our approach to promoting a better understanding of the pathology and health of the taxon will, we hope, prove of assistance also to those studying other groups of animals. Our text will also emphasise the importance in all endeavours of a sound understanding of an animal’s anatomy, physiology, behaviour and natural history. As Diderot stated ‘Il faut être profond dans l'art ou dans la science pour en bien posséder les éléments’ [We must be deeply familiar with art and science if we are properly to understand their components].

How do wildlife veterinarians, pathologists, primatologists and others concerned with the health of gorillas gain the necessary knowledge of the biology of these animals? Books, scientific publications and ‘popular’ articles are a good start. There are many texts that can be advocated (see References and Further Reading) of which particular attention is drawn to the seminal works of Schaller (1963, 1964), Fossey (1983), Meder (1993), Napier and Napier (1967), Dixson (1981) and Taylor and Goldsmith (2003).

Exposure to live gorillas is the best way to learn about their natural history. So many of the earlier observers, even if not trained biologists, had a naturalist’s approach to the world around them and to the places where gorillas lived. Thus, Fred Merfield also had an interest in ent...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Quotations
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• About the Authors
• About the Contributors
• List of Abbreviations
• Part I: Gorilla Pathology and Health
• Part II: A Catalogue of Preserved Materials
• Appendix 1. Glossary of Terms
• Appendix 2. Protocols and Reports
• Appendix 3. Field Pathology
• Appendix 4. Hazards, Including Zoonoses
• Appendix 5. Case Studies – Museums and Zoological Collections
• Appendix 6. Scientific Names of Species and Taxa Mentioned in Text
• References and Further Reading
• Appendix CA1. Use of Collections and Handling of Biological Material
• Appendix CA2. Retrieval, Preparation and Storage of Skeletal and Other Material
• Index