Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-23
Twelve Monkeys in Training to
Aid Science.
ALL TO BECOME MARTYRS
Will Lose Their Heads After They
Are Well Filled.
DOCTORS GREATLY INTERESTED
And So Are G. w. U. Academic
Students, But in a Diff
ferent Way.

Profound secrecy prevails in the medl
cal department Of George Washington
University concerning an even dozen
little brown monkeys which are at pres
ent inha hitting a room on the top floor
Of the medical building, There the mon
keys are having the time of their lives,
eating peanuts and milk, fighting and
playing alternately, and doing the many
peculiar things that all well ordered
monkeys appear to enjoy.
But what they are there for no one
around the building this morning woule
say. Mr.. Shepherd, who has charge o.
them, is reticent. He declared that ht
would rather not discuss the monkeys
until he had conferred with the DOCTORS
whom. he added, he expected to interview
some time during the holidays" Until
1.-The Doctors whoever they are, disclose
their identity and break their silence no
body Will know just what is to become OF
the monkeys. An effort was made to 10
cate Dean Phillips of the Medical School
in the hope that he might shed light OF
the question. but he is out Of the city.
However, while definite information is
lacking, many apparently well founded
rumors arc going about the university
with respect to the sinlians. Those of Il
serious turn of mind say that a noted
scientist and local physician. both con
some novel and interesting experiments
with the monkeys brains.
Martyrs to Science.
The scientist is said to be world famed
for his work OH mental diseases. and hi:
object in experimenting with the monkeys
is to find out to what extent the monkey
brain may be developed by training and
education and how far and how rapidly
the monkey brain will retrograde after
daily training is stopped and the monkey
is allowed to resume his natural habits.
To do this the scientist will, it is under
stood, have two monkeys trained tOSethe,
until they reach approximately the same
point of development. One OF the mon
keys will then be killed and his brain will
be placed in alcohol and analysed. The
other monkey will be left to his own de-
vices for a given period in order that he
may forget all the tricks he has learned
When fOrgetfulness takes possession OF
him he will also be killed. His brair
will be compared with that Of the monkey
killed while at the height of his develop
ment and with the brain of a monkey
which had never been developed.
The ability TO note a physical difference
between a developed and an undevelopeC
brain has always been a question for de-
bate among physicians, and consequently
the monkey experiments at the George
w dSn1nStOu MEDICAL SCnOOl Will De lOl
lowed closely by the medical fraternity.
Others Besides Doctors Interested.
Almost as much interest is being shown
by the academic students of the college
in the monkeys as by the medical stu
dents. The possibilities of monkey train
ing ought to be unlimited, the academ:
declare
Members Of the sophomore class say the
monkeys will stand fair chance of being
improved by a college education if they
are not allowed to associate with the
freshmen. At any rate. the sophomores
are willing to bet all they have that the
monkeys can bet the freshmen doing any,
thing. from calling off Greek roots te
playing basket ball. So keen are the
sophs in their support Of the monkeys
that they are trying to arrange a basket
ball game between monkey quint, which
they are willing to coach, and the fresh
man team. 1t has also been suggested
that unless the ban on certain varsity
basket ball players is raised the athletic
association may have to draw on the
monks for material.
Anyhow, according TO the sophs tn,
freshmen will have to play the monks j.
they want to get any kind of reputation
around college.
In the meantime Mr.. Shepherd. the eX
pert animal trainer. is going along will
the education of his charges, who seen
perfectly happy. But whether a monkey
will profit by Il college education appear.
to be still as much of conundrum q:
whether a boy does.