1886.] MAMMALS IN THE SOCIETy's GARDENS. 207 



their naturp, whilst others illustrate pathological conditions not 

 before described in wild animals. 



In 1877 Mr. Garrod read a short paper before this Society "On 

 the Mechanism of tlie Intervertebral Substance, and on some Effects 

 of the Erect Position of Man" (P. Z. S. 1877, p. 50) from which 

 the following,' extract has been taken : — 



"The assumption of a vertical attitude by a creature originally 

 differentiated for a horizontal position of its body, has produced but 

 marvellously slight inconvenience. If it had resulted in many, man 

 could scarcely have survived. There are one or two, however, which 

 are most clearly traceal'le to this cause, includnig the painful tendency 

 to prolapse, antiflexion, and retroflexion of the uterus in women, as 

 well as crural hernia in both sexes, and inguinal hernia in the 

 male.'" 



At the time the preceding paragraph was written, little was 

 known, and far less recorded, concerning the abnormal conditions 

 referred to by Mr. Garrod. The unusual opportunities wliich have 

 occurred to me during the past five years of investigating diseases 

 of wild animals will render necessary a reconsideration of this 

 opinion. 



In the first place prolapse of the uterus occurs with tolerable 

 frequency, not only in domesticated mammals, but in the lioness, 

 tapir. Cape hunting-dog, the pygmy hog, deer, antelope, and others. 

 These examples are sufficient to show that it is not entirely attribu- 

 table to the erect position. 



With regard to flexions of the uterus, it is a remarkable fact that 

 no fewer than one fourth of all the female Monkeys dying during 

 the past two years presented extreme examples of this abnormal con- 

 dition of the organ. In many the displacement far exceeded any- 

 thing that I have seen in the human female. Well marked speci- 

 mens of flexion of the uterus occur also in Deer. (For a detailed 

 account of these cases and their setiology consult Path. Soc. Trans, 

 vol. xxxvi. p. 502.) The frequency and severity of the cases show- 

 that the flexion is due to causes in addition to the erect position. 



Concerning hernia, it has always seemed to me strange that 

 Man, whose inguinal canals are, in the ordinary course of events, 

 more or less obliterated, should be so liable to visceral protrusions 

 at these spots, whilst Monkeys, in whom the inguinal canals in 

 most species remain more or less patent, should escape. It is 

 certain that Horses are liable to inguinal ruptures ; and I have long 

 known that the same defect occurs with tolerable frequency in Sheep. 

 During the past two months I have been so fortunate as to meet witli 

 two cases of inguinal hernia in Monkeys. In the first, Macacus 

 cyclopis, a large plug of omentum occupied the funicular pouch of the 

 left side ; the second occurred on the right side in a Macacus sinicus. 

 The details of the condition may be gathered from fig. 1, p. 208. 

 This Monkey had also a large varicocele on the left side. These 

 specimens are sufficient to show that such abnormalities are not 

 peculiar to Man. 



Probably most individuals among the civilized races of mankind 



