The Primates [antikvár]

Preface In the last few years, great progress has been made in understanding man's closest relatives, the monkeys and the apes. New fossils have been found. Anatomical investigations have added to our knowledge of chromosomes, skin and nervous system. Biochemical studies have clarified the relationships of many forms of primates to each other and to man. But perhaps the greatest addition to our information has come in studies of behaviour. Only a few years ago accurate information on the social behaviour of monkeys and apes living under natural conditions was limited to a very few species and, primarily, to the work of a single investigator, C. R. Carpenter. Recently, however, many scientists from several nations have spent months in the field, studying the ways of life of many primate forms. The authors of this volume have chosen to emphasize this part of the newer understanding of the primates, and to deal with social life as a way of understanding this order of mammals. The pages which follow are based on the latest accounts and, frequently, on information which is as yet unpublished. The understanding of the social life of monkeys and apes gives many insights into the background and process of our own evolution. This not only has philosophic implications for the understanding of man but practical applications in psychology and medicine. For example, the importance of early experience in shaping the emotional make-up of adults is revealed by laboratory experiments on monkeys; how these crucial events take place in a natural state is shown by field studies. This combination of laboratory experiment and observation in the wild oflfers the scientist the rich insights which are described in this book. At the present time, research on all aspects of primate structure and behaviour is proceeding at a rapid pace. A book such as this represents an exciting moment in the history of a part of science. It states new facts and insights, and at the same time makes clear that many of these will be further modified and enriched as science rapidly advances in its understanding of the relatives of man. S. L. Washburn Professor of Anthropology University of California Berkeley, California