International Journal of Pliraatology, Vol. 16, No. 3, 1995

Book Review

The Role of the Chimpanzee in Research. Edited by G. Eder, E. Kaiser, and F. A. King. Karger, Basel, 1994, xx + 203 pp., $182.50, SFr.228, DM273 (hardcover).

This book resulted from a symposium held at the Hans Popper Pri- mate Centre in Austria, and the organizers claim that "almost all of the invited outstanding scientists in this field all over the world accepted the invitation to give a lecture on their speciality." Those who contributed, how- ever, did not include any of the numerous first-rate scientists studying chimpanzees in their natural habitat, so that the emphasis is entirely on laboratory studies.

The book is divided into three sections, the first is entitled "The Chimpanzee and Human Experimentation." Two of the chapters seek to justify the role of chimpanzees in biomedical research by arguing for their use in situations in which it would be unethical to experiment on humans. In Chapter 1 McCarthy concludes that humans have "an absolute right not to be used by others without informed consent" while "animals, even the highest of animals, do not enjoy such a right." In Chapters 2 and 3 Horton and Cohen, respectively, follow this line of thought by examining what they regard as the ethics of animal experimentation. Unfortunately, both authors adopt a confrontational view and fail to present a balanced, ethical argu- ment. They typecast opponents to their views as extremist members of an animal rights lobby while claiming that scientists "hold truly moderate po- sitions." This is in spite of the fact that they know of and therefore apparently condone such experiments as the University of Pennsylvania head injury work (p. 9). Neither author seems to be aware of the moderate, scientifically based animal welfare movement, nor do they emphasize the need for each experiment to be based on an ethical assessment of the bal- ance between quality of the research, medical value and suffering likely to be inflicted on the animal. The paper by Rozmiarek is concerned with ani- mal welfare regulations but, in spite of the European origins of the book,

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confines itself almost exclusively to the American situation, whereas an in- ternational approach could have been more helpful.

The second section of the book draws comparisons between human and chimpanzee behavior and reproduction. The approach at times seems to be rather naive, probably because it lacks any input from fieldworkers. For example, the paper by Bard compares neonatal behavior of chimpan- zees and humans. However, it does not compare the normal situation in both cases, because the chimpanzees were reared by human surrogate mothers. Although references are included to naturally reared chimpan- zees, their findings are not considered and no comparisons are drawn. The chapter by Berntson et al. on the psychophysiology of chimpanzee percep- t ion is of cons iderable in teres t and describes useful noninvasive physiological techniques for assessing cognitive variables. Nadler's chapter recommending the use of chimpanzees in research on human contraception tends to overlook the considerable differences between human and chim- panzee, (Pan troglodytes) reproductive behaviors and sexual strategies. Evidence from fieldwork suggests that Pan paniscus might provide a better model for human sexual behavior. The remaining chapters in this section, on breeding and reproduction, are of a high standard but the American bias persists, while it is true that the majority of chimpanzee research takes place in the United States, there is also research in Europe, Japan, and the Gabon and the title of the book would seem to suggest an international overview.

The final section of the book is concerned with the actual use of chim- panzees in biomedical research. Clearly, only specialists in the particular fields can assess the quality of these rather brief contributions. For general readers who may be concerned that chimpanzees are being used responsi- bly, however, it would have been helpful if the authors had included some justification for their use of the species. This should include the seriousness of the condition being investigated, in terms of human health, the necessity to use chimpanzees, and the severity of the experimental procedures in- volved.

Chimpanzees are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom; they have very similar emotions and, like us, live in highly regulated complex societies. Both the general public and many scientists have considerable reservations as to whether chimpanzees should be used as subjects for biomedical research, unless there are exceptional grounds to justify it. The editors should have taken into account these reservations and provided more convincing arguments as to why chimpanzees are needed in research. Apart from the somewhat variable quality of the contributions, the high cost must surely be an additional deterrent to anyone considering purchas- ing the book.

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Trevor Poole Universities Federation for Animal Welfare 8 Hamilton Close, South Mimms Potters Bar EN6 3QD, England