Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-03-08
MUCH LIKE A MAN,
An Ourang-Outang Examined at Johns
Hopkins Hospital.

Hopkins Hospital.
Ham, Jr., the educatedd orang-outang
of the Zoo, was taken before the Johns
Hopkins Medical society last night,
says the Baltimore Sun, in the as
sembly rooms at Johns Hopkins hos
pital. Doctors and students who were
present were much interested in the
little animal and shook hands with
him. Owing to the length of the pro-
gram which was presented before the
society there was not time enough for
a close anatomical examination of the
strange animal.
DR.. Clement A. Penrose, 413 North
Charles street, took the animal from
the Zoo to the hospital, being accom-
panied by Hams captor and trainer,
Capt. Frederick D'Osta, and by Louis
j. Berch, representing Frank c.. Bos-
took. DR.. Penrose is a close student
of zoology and was especially struck
with the value to his profession of
view of the strange animal which so
much resembles man in its anatomy.
He introduced Ham by saying:
Through the courtesy of Mr.. Frank
C. Bostock, director general of the
Zoo, take pleasure in introducing to
the medical society Ham Jr., the only
orang-outang living in captivity
This interesting little creature was
captured in July, 1898, by his owner,
Captain D'Osta, on the Island of Bor-
neo, about 200 miles up the Chimpan
river. The mother was also taken,
but died about eight days later. The
| father, which was about feet 8
inches in height escaped. The little
one was injured in the arm by falling
from the tree which was cut down.
Ham, Jr., is now 212 years old has
cut all his first teeth, is very affection
ate in his disposition and conveys his
wishes by cultural sounds and signs.
He eats oatmeal, toast and sweetened
water for BREAKFAST, meat once day
and after his act atnight has a welsh
rarebit. Ham takes cold very easily;
| has had pneumonia. He is inclined to
constipation and is then indicated
| like a human being. He is washed
every day with alcohol; twice a week
with codliver oil and once a week
with milk.
THE orang-outang, Maylayan for
man of the woods, MICS, simia
satyrus, family simidae, belongs with
the gibbons of eastern Asia, the chin
panzee and gorilla of western Africa,
to the group anthropomorphia, or
man-like apes. 1t inhabits the wooded
swampy lowlands of Borneo and
| Sumatra. In wild state the animal
is vegetable eater and arborial in
its habits, building rude shelters in
the trees.
The male attains a stature of Az
feet or more, with reach of arms of
l71a feet; the relative proportion of
arms to legs is, therefore, much great
err than in man. The erect attitude is
difficult, constrained and not ordinar-
lily assumed. In trees 1t displays great
agility The hands and feet are long,
with bent knuckles, so that the soles
of the feet and hands do not strike the
ground completely. The big toe and
thumb are quite short in comparison
with the other digits.
1.-The face, hands and feet are naked
and the fur is scanty and thin, OF a
brownish or auburn color The orang
possesses great strength and, accord
ing TO some authorities, if wounded is
a very dangerous animal. The adults
have well marked warty prominences
on both cheeks, but no cheek pouches
for food.
THE skeleton OF the orang has in
the loose lumbar curve a resemblance
to that of a child. In the chimpanzee
and gorilla it is more like the adult
human being. The orang has IL ribs,
whereas the chimpanzee and gorilla,
unlike man, have 10 and the gibbons
IA. The thorax is wide and fiat and
the sternum may ossify from double
series of longitudinal centers, as some
times occurs in man.
THE orang's skull has greater brain
capacity than the chimpanzee or goril-
la, and owing to the smallness OF the
brow ridge the forehead is better seen.
The nasal bones are fat and none OF
these apes have an interior nasal
spine. (This forms the bridge OF the
nose.) The scapula or shoulder bone