1931
IN THE STORY OF TARZAN, THE MYTHIC APE-MAN IS raised among a family of primates. Swinging from trees and crawling on all fours, the legend suggests that human babies nurtured in the wild adopt the traits of their feral guardians. But what of an ape raised among men? In 1931, comparative psychologist Winthrop Kellogg and his wife, Luella, attempted to rear an ape. They plucked a seven-month-old female chimpanzee named Gua from her mother and raised her alongside their 10-month-old son, Donald. The two lived, learned and played together in their Florida home.
Gua actually achieved certain developmental mile stones--like walking upright and admiring herself in the mirror--earlier than Donald did. And the chimp conveyed emotions such as fear, love and sadness through actions, yelps and facial expressions. In effect, Gua acted like a human child to the extent of her physical capabilities. She even taught Donald how to peer under doors and bite walls and people. By the end of the nine-month experiment, Gua could recognize and physically respond to 98 commands--an impressive repertoire, until one considers that we share 98.5 percent of our DNA with chimpanzees.
