314 
SURGERY AND TRANSPLANTATION 
culation between nonhuman primates and hu- 
man patients in hepatic failure. Results of the 
small experience which has been reported so 
far show that the procedure is practical and 
that there is some reason to believe that tem- 
porary augmentation of liver function is ob- 
tained.3 
These experiences form the background for 
a personal conviction, that nonhuman primates 
must be the "animals of choice" for surgical 
research in the future whenever close approxi- 
mation of human structure and function are re- 
quired. Experiences of other investigators who 
have reached similar conclusions are reported 
in the proceedings of the First and Second Con- 
ference on Experimental Medicine and Surgery 
in Primates which were published in 1969 and 
1971.*'^ Both conferences included experimental 
surgical reports, some of which are discussed 
below. This is not to say that other animals will 
not continue to be important, but it does empha- 
size the vital necessity for access to primates by 
sophisticated medical scientists. 
In the past, investigators frequently accepted 
whatever primates were available and often did 
not differentiate among "monkeys." Further- 
more, the husbandry methods of traditional 
veterinary practice did not account for the 
transmissibility of infectious agents between 
human and nonhuman primates, with the result 
that many primate colonies were decimated by 
tuberculosis and other respiratory and gastro- 
intestinal infections from human contacts. The 
reverse problem posed by transmission of 
herpes infections (monkey B virus), innocuous 
in the host animal but producing high mortality 
rates in humans and, more recently, the Mar- 
burg Disease epidemic in Germany induced fear 
of primates among many scientists. The diffi- 
culties and physical dangers of handling these 
animals were also recognized as deterrents to 
their use; and, finally, the cost of nonhuman 
primate animals was thought to be very high. 
In 1966, the Committee of Scientists for the 
Use of Primates in Medical Research promul- 
gated the following statement: 
We have in common a conviction that our 
scientific research has benefited from or 
has been dependent upon, the use of pri- 
mate animals. 
Representing many disciplines, each of us 
has turned to primates in investigative 
endeavors because of the opportunities of- 
fered by these animals to come closer to the 
conditions and the challenges offered by 
human structure, human function and hu- 
man disease. I 
In many cases, the use of primates has pre- I 
sented unusual technical difficulties, incon- 
venience, and expense, and has caused the 
development of highly specialized tech- 
niques and procedures. However, the indis- 
pensable information we have obtained has 
justified the effort. 
We believe that our experience will soon be | 
shared by others and that the importance | 
of primates in medical research will grow | 
rapidly. This will intensify an already ! 
existing scarcity of animals, facilities, and 
knowledgeable laboratory personnel. | 
We have, therefore, constituted ourselves | 
a Committee of Scientists for the Use of j 
Primates in Medical Research and agree j 
to the pursuit of the following principles: | 
1. Their unique biological status and their | 
scarcity separate primates from the | 
more common laboratory animals. | 
2. There is a need for an ongoing and in- | 
creasing supply of great apes as well j 
as other primates and plans must be | 
developed for breeding, housing and j 
study. I 
8. Methods, systems, know-how, and tech- i 
niques which are generally used in lab- . 
oratory animal care are not necessarily i 
appropriate for the primates. | 
4. Knowledge of primate anatomy, phys- 
iology, pathology, etc. is still fragmen- 
tary and urgently requires intensive 
study. 
5. The animals available must be utilized i 
in the most efficient manner that can be ' 
developed and the techniques and fa- 
cilities necessary for their study should 
be shared by the scientific community. 
6. The foregoing principles can be imple- i, 
mented by the creation of a Laboratory 
for Experimental Medicine and Sur- ^ 
gery in Primates in the New York vi- 
cinity, and this laboratory should be 
