Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-06-09
THE DISEASES OF MONKEYS.
An Animal Dealer Talks Of the Eavages o
Tootheche, Seasickness and Pusnacity.

Tootheche, seasickness and Pusnacity.
''The chimpanzee," began Mr.. Frank J..
Thomson. an animal dealer of New York
CITY. lis like the other members of the ape
family. a very tender and delicate animal.
requiring great care in captivity. The
monkeys proper, or the quadruIna MA
having tails. are harder. Probably the
least affected by cold of any are the CON-
mon Macaque, the Rhenus, and the Orient
monkeys, all natives OF Asia But,
nevertheless, monkeys and apes require
the greatest care in handling, and, even
with this. their usual term of life is very
short. only a few years ct the most. OF
course there are occasional exceptions, and
l myself have kept or have known OF
specimens 10 or 12 years old.
s'Ir. Crowley is believed to be the old
est of the chimpanzees, having arrived al
the park on June "a, 1884, when he was
but little bit of fellow, foot and a
half or two feet high. Mr. Conklin used
to let him run all around his Office. He
was donated by the Liberian minister,
who had bought him in Liberia from q
coasting vessel which had picked him up
somewhere near the mouth OF the Congo
river. on the west coast OF Africa. 1t is
III LIS cDE%SiSAts ScStlA w
the great rivers mouth, that the native
haunts Of the chimpaDzee are to be found
There is nothing unusual in the pneu-
monia attack OF Mr.. Crowley. Monkeys
ard apes are subject to nearly all the dis
eases of man, and when sick they should
be treated in exactly the same manner. l
have had cases of consumption, pneu-
monia, diarrhCea, bronchitis, catarrh,
Group, asthma, toothache, commissions
and seasickness to attend to among my
monkey stock.
Only the other day I pulled out two
diseased teeth from one monkey, whose
face was all swollen up at the time. Some
of the worst cases have ever seen of sea-
sickness were among these lively little
animals Horses, sheep and cattle do not
seem ever to be affected. but monkeys
and all flesh eating animals, such as lions,
tigers, bears ard leopards, are very badly
attacked. Another disease which las not
been much noticed was enc from which a
big gorilla in the Berlin Geological gar
dens died few years ago. 1t was dis
covered at the inquest that his death had
been caused by mass of pins which our
charitable visitors had fed him.
"And talking about Diseases" contin-
ued Mr.. Thompson, 'look here" And he
went up to one of the many cages in the
room in which he and the reporter were
sitting. Within it could be distinguished
q little black mass, huddled up in q cor
ner, chattering and showing its teeth.
''That is bonnet monkey" said MIR.
Thompson, (which is just recovering
from an attack of pneumonia it had some
DAYS ago. l took it fro that big cage
over there" And he pointed to one in
which half dozen monkeys were noisily
playing romps. In the smaller cage it
had quiet, and although 1 expected it to
die, nevertheless, with tender treatment,
nourishing food and stimulants, it has
come out all right.
"And there is another disease which is
at present very prevalent and that is pug
nacity Monkeys take TO it as naturally
as their more civilized descendants, and
this little monkey here is an evidence
of it."
As he was speaking, Mr.. Thompson
went over to the largest cage and pointed
out little grayish female monkey, which
Immediately came to the bars, evidently
expecting some peanuts or other deli
cacies. On close inspection her nose was
seen to be broken just above the bridge.
eve christened her Miss Slugger, F"
observed Mr.. Thompson, ''and l have
often wondered in what great prize fight
she received her Disagreement"
cit is the liability to disease of the
monkey family which accounts for the
small number Of them carried around by
circuses The least draught is apt to
bring on fatal cold. Why if I had a
chimpanzee now l believe could not sell
it. No manager wants them, for they re-
quire more care than they are worth. On
this account it is impossible to place any
definite price upon them.-New York
Evening Sun.