The Washington times., 1922-09-03

"My examination of the feet of John Daniel and
the other prmates showed that the great toe of the
ape turns toward the sole Of the foot because of
twisting Of the shafts OF the bones of the foot that hold
the toes. John Daniel who had been deprived of his
normal tree life for period of about four years
showed some interesting differences from other apes
the twisting of the toes toward the thumbs was
greatly reduced. In other words, he already de-
veloping the human type of foot.
I'm the adult gorilla after it has been forced by its
weight to take to ground life, similar change is
noted The surface Of the big toe and the other toes
which originally formed right angle, show marked
widening and definitely approach the common plane
characteristic of the human foot There still remains
the original ability to the great toe in and out
but opposabity. as displayed by the other apes is
modified.
In mans foot have found that there is an appre
ciable amount Of the twisting toward the big toe in
the first and second toes. as in all the apes
1T Is most significant that so great change In a
tree-cimbng foot toward d ground-walking foot
should be accomplished within the life span of the
gorilla While the big toe does not reach the stage of
being simply divergent without twisting as in man
nevertheless the process only lacks time to fulfil such
a condition or the stimulus of a suitable change in
environment in the character psychic or other
wise) OF the species.
"a very important result Of my examination Of
John Daniels foot was that when the gorilla foot is
used on the ground the toes rapidly approximate the
relative proportions of the human toes instead Of
sembing the proportions Of the human fingers, as in
other apes On viewing baby gorilla foot one is
Immediately struck with the comparative shortness of
tue Dig TOE and the extra length OF the third toe How
ever. In the adult gorilla the greatest growth was In
the second toe in the third it much less but dis
tncty more than in the big toe Incidentally the pro-
toronate growth Of the second to the three outer
points clearly to tendency toward reduction in the
outer toes even In the wild gorilla, conforming more
closely to the human arrangement
Young John Daniel who as a captive had been
deprived Of his early tree-clmbing life and the infu-
ence that life would have had upon the development
of his feet and who had been restricted to the use Of
his feet on the ground showed the highest percentage
or growth n the big toe, which Is much greater than
that OF the second toe. Comparison of the relative
growth Of these two toes showed almost startling dis
parity In growth. which only be laid to the early
alteration In life habits In the younger animla. John
Daniels big toe since his capture had grown 80 per
cent his second toe 90 per cent while the adult 60
rlas big toe had grown since the age Of two II per
cent and his second toe SO per cent.
'If the rate Of growth of John Daniels toes had
been continued to the age Of wild adult gorilla they
would have been very different from that animals and
would have Appropriated human proportions. That
proves clearly that an animal like this could have been
our ancestor"