i86 LEADING AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE 



of ape. In order to appreciate the significance of the event itself 

 and the nature of Wyman's part in it some preliminary statements 

 are needed. 



At that time, in addition to the many kinds of monkeys with 

 tails of greater or less length and lacking the vermiform appendix 

 of the intestinal cecum there were known several anthropoids 

 or man-like apes, with no trace of a tail but having an appendix 

 substantially like that of man. These apes comprised several 

 species of gibbons from Asia and Asiatic islands; the reddish- 

 brown orang of Borneo and Sumatra; and the black chimpanzee 

 of West Central Africa. The gibbons were not discussed by Wy- 

 man and need not be considered here; the chimpanzee was some- 

 times spoken of as the " Black orang." 1 Wyman had already 

 published an important paper on the structure of the chimpanzee 

 in conjunction with Dr. Thomas S. Savage, a corresponding mem- 

 ber of the Boston Society of Natural History; while serving as a 

 missionary on the West Coast of Africa, Dr. Savage obtained the 

 specimens that were examined by Wyman, and himself contributed 

 Observations on the External Characters and Habits. 



The first scientific account of the gorilla was given by Wyman 

 in the summer of 1847, after the reception of specimens sent him 

 by Dr. Savage from New York on the i6th of July. The commu- 

 nication was made to the Boston Society of Natural History on the 

 i8th of August; 2 see the Proceedings, vol. 2, pp. 246-247. 



The paper was printed in full, with four plates, in the Boston 



1 "The term Orang, more commonly but incorrectly written Ourang, is 

 strictly applicable to the eastern species only. Orang is a Malay word which 

 means a reasonable being, and is also given to man and the elephant. Outan 

 means wild or of the woods; Orang-outan, wild man, Cambang-outan, wild 

 goat. Outang, the word generally used as the adjective, signifies a robber. 

 See Cuvier, Animal Kingdom, McMurtrie's Translation, vol. I, p. 57, note." 

 Footnote to Wyman's first paper on the Gorilla, p. 417. 



2 At the meeting of the association of American Geologists and Naturalists 

 in Boston, beginning September 2oth, the specimens were also shown and 

 commented upon by Wyman, who that year was the Secretary. That associ- 

 ation was the precursor of the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science which was organized at Philadelphia the following year. 



