michael crichton.congo-第8节

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tant　worry；　many　programs　collapsed　after　years　of　effort　and　expense　when　the　apes　died　of　physical　or　mental　illness。　Timothy；　an　Atlanta　chimp；　became　psychotic　in　1976　and　mitted　suicide　by　coprophagia；　choking　to　death　on　his　own　feces。　Maurice；　a　Chicago　orang；　became　intensely　neurotic；　developing　phobias　that　halted　work　in　1977。　For　better　or　worse；　the　very　intelligence　that　made　apes　worthwhile　subjects　for　study　also　made　them　as　unstable　as　human　beings。
　But　the　Project　Amy　staff　was　unable　to　make　further　progress。　In　May；　1979；　they　made　what　turned　out　to　be　a　momentous　decision：　they　decided　to　publish　Amy's　drawings；　and　submitted　her　images　to　the　Journal　of　Behavioral　Sciences。
　
　2。Breakthrough
　
　〃DREAM　BEHAVIOR　IN　A　MOUNTAIN　GORILLA〃　WAS
　never　published。　The　paper　was　routinely　forwarded　to　three　scientists　on　the　editorial　board　for　review；　and　one　copy　somehow　（it　is　still　unclear　just　how）　fell　into　the　hands　of　the　Primate　Preservation　Agency；　a　New　York　group　formed　in　1975　to　prevent　the　〃unwarranted　and　illegitimate　exploitation　of　intelligent　primates　in　unnecessary　laboratory　research。〃　*
　On　June　3；　the　PPA　began　picketing　the　Zoology　Department　at　Berkeley；　and　calling　for　the　〃release〃　of　Amy。　Most　of　the　demonstrators　were　women；　and　several　young　children　were　present；　videotapes　of　an　eight…year…old　boy　holding　a　placard　with　Amy's　photograph　and　shouting　〃Free　Amy！　Free　Amy！〃　appeared　on　local　television　news。
　In　a　tactical　error；　the　Project　Amy　staff　elected　to　ignore　the　protests　except　for　a　brief　press　release　stating　that　the　PPA　was　〃misinformed。〃　The　release　went　out　under　the　Berkeley　Information　Office　letterhead。
　On　June　5；　the　PPA　released　ments　on　Professor　Elliot's　work　from　other　primatologists　around　the　country。　（Many　later　denied　the　ments　or　claimed　they　were　misquoted。）　Dr。　Wayne　Turman；　of　the　University　of　Oklahoma　at　Norman；　was　quoted　as　saying　that　Elliot's　work　was　〃fanciful　and　unethical。〃　Dr。　Felicity　Hammond；　of　the　Yerkes　Primate　Research　Center　in　Atlanta；　said　that　〃neither　Elliot　nor　his　research　is　of　the　first　rank。〃　Dr。　Richard　Aronson　at　the　University　of　Chicago　called　the　research　〃clearly　fascist　in　nature。〃
　None　of　these　scientists　had　read　Elliot's　paper　before　menting；　but　the　damage；　particularly　from　Aronson；　was　incalculable。　On　June　8；　Eleanor　Vries；　the　spokesperson　for　the　PPA；　referred　to　the　〃criminal　research　of　Dr。　Elliot　and　his　Nazi　staff〃；　she　claimed　Elliot's　research　caused　Amy　to　have　nightmares；　and　that　Amy　was　being　subjected　to　torture；　drugs；　and　electroshock　treatments。
　Belatedly；　on　June　10；　the　Project　Amy　staff　prepared　a　lengthy　press　release；　explaining　their　position　in　detail　and
　
　*The　Following　account　of　Elliot's　persecution　draws　heavily　on　J。　A。　Peebles；　〃Infringement　of　Academic　Freedom　by　Press　Innuendo　and　Hearsay：　The　Experience　of　Dr。　Peter　Elliot；〃　in　the　Journal　of　Academic　Law　and　Psychiatry　52。　no。　12　（1979）：　19…38。
　referring　to　the　unpublished　paper。　But　the　University　Information　Office　was　now　〃too　busy〃　to　issue　the　release。
　On　June　11；　the　Berkeley　faculty　scheduled　a　meeting　to　consider　〃issues　of　ethical　conduct〃　within　the　university。　Eleanor　Vries　announced　that　the　PPA　had　hired　the　noted　San　Francisco　attorney　Melvin　Bell　〃to　free　Amy　from　subjugation。〃　Bell's　office　was　not　available　for　ment。
　On　the　same　day；　the　Project　Amy　staff　had　a　sudden；　unexpected　breakthrough　in　their　understanding　of　Amy's　dreams。
　
　Through　all　the　publicity　and　motion；　the　group　had　continued　to　work　daily　with　Amy；　and　her　continued　distress…and　flaring　temper　tantrums…was　a　constant　reminder　that　they　had　not　solved　the　initial　problem。　They　persisted　in　their　search　for　clues；　although　when　the　break　finally　came；　it　happened　almost　by　accident。
　Sarah　Johnson；　a　research　assistant；　was　checking　prehistoric　archaeological　sites　in　the　Congo；　on　the　unlikely　chance　that　Amy　might　have　seen　such　a　site　（〃old　buildings　in　the　jungle〃）　in　her　infancy；　before　she　was　brought　to　the　Minneapolis　zoo。　Johnson　quickly　discovered　the　pertinent　facts　about　the　Congo：　the　region　had　not　been　explored　by　Western　observers　until　a　hundred　years　ago；　in　recent　times；　hostile　tribes　and　civil　war　had　made　scientific　inquiry　hazardous；　and　finally；　the　moist　jungle　environment　did　not　lend　itself　to　artifact　preservation。
　This　meant　remarkably　little　was　known　about　Congolese　prehistory；　and　Johnson　pleted　her　research　in　a　few　hours。　But　she　was　reluctant　to　return　so　quickly　from　her　assignment；　so　she　stayed　on；　looking　at　other　books　in　the　anthropology　library…ethnographies；　histories；　early　accounts。　The　earliest　visitors　to　the　interior　of　the　Congo　were　Arab　slave　traders　and　Portuguese　merchants；　and　several　had　written　accounts　of　their　travels。　Because　Johnson　could　read　neither　Arabic　nor　Portuguese；　she　just　looked　at　the　plates。
　And　then　she　saw　a　picture　that；　she　said；　〃sent　a　chill　up　my　spine。〃
　It　was　a　Portuguese　engraving　originally　dated　1642　and　reprinted　in　an　1842　volume。　The　ink　was　yellowing　on　frayed　brittle　paper；　but　clearly　visible　was　a　ruined　city　in　the　jungle；　overgrown　with　creeper　vines　and　giant　ferns。　The　doors　and　windows　were　constructed　with　semicircular　arches；　exactly　as　Amy　had　drawn　them。
　
　〃It　was；〃　Elliot　said　later；　〃the　kind　of　opportunity　that　es　to　a　researcher　once　in　his　lifetime…if　he's　lucky。　Of　course　we　knew　nothing　about　the　picture；　the　caption　was　written　in　flowing　script　and　included　a　word　that　looked　like　'Zinj；'　and　the　date　1642。　We　immediately　hired　translators　skilled　in　archaic　Arabic　and　seventeenth…century　Portuguese；　but　that　wasn't　the　point。　The　point　was　we　had　a　chance　to　verify　a　major　theoretical　question。　Amy's　pictures　seemed　to　be　a　clear　case　of　specific　genetic　memory。〃
　Genetic　memory　was　first　proposed　by　Marais　in　1911；　and　it　has　been　vigorously　debated　ever　since。　In　its　simplest　form；　the　theory　proposed　that　the　mechanism　of　genetic　inheritance；　which　governed　the　transmission　of　all　physical　traits；　was　not　limited　to　physical　traits　alone。　Behavior　was　clearly　genetically　determined　in　lower　animals；　which　were　born　with　plex　behavior　that　did　not　have　to　be　learned。　But　higher　animals　had　more　flexible　behavior；　dependent　on　learning　and　memory。　The　question　was　whether　higher　animals；　particularly　apes　and　men；　had　any　part　of　their　psychic　apparatus　fixed　from　birth　by　their　genes。
　Now；　Elliot　felt；　with　Amy　they　had　evidence　for　such　a　memory。　Amy　had　been　taken　from　Africa　when　she　was　only　seven　months　old。　Unless　she　had　seen　this　ruined　city　in　her　infancy；　her　dreams　represented　a　specific　genetic　memory　which　could　be　verified　by　a　trip　to　Africa。　By　the　evening　of　June　11；　the　Project　Amy　staff　was　agreed。　If　they　could　arrange　it…and　pay　for　it…they　would　take　Amy　back　to　Africa。
　On　June　12；　the　team　waited　for　the　translators　to　plete　work　on　the　source　material。　Checked　translations　were　expected　to　be　ready　within　two　days。　But　a　trip　to　Africa　for　Amy　and　two　staff　members　would　cost　at　least　thirty　thousand　dollars；　a　substantial　fraction　of　their　total　annual　operating　budget。　And　transporting　a　gorilla　halfway　around　the　world　involved　a　bewildering　tangle　of　customs　regulations　and　bureaucratic　red　tape。
　Clearly；　they　needed　expert　help；　but　they　were　not　sure　where　to　turn。　And　then；　on　June　13；　a　Dr。　Karen　Ross　from　one　of　their　granting　institutions；　the　Earth　Resources　Wildlife　Fund；　called　from　Houston　to　say　that　she　was　leading　an　expedition　into　the　Congo　in　two　days'　time。　And　although　she　showed　no　interest　in　taking　Peter　Elliot　or　Amy　with　her；　she　conveyed…at　least　over　the　telephone…a　confident　familiarity　with　the　way　expeditions　were　assembled　and　managed　in　far…off　places　around　the　world。
　When　she　asked　if　she　could　e　to　San　Francisco　to　meet　with　Dr。　Elliot；　Dr。　Elliot　replied　that　he　would　be　delighted　to　meet　with　her；　at　her　convenience。
　
　3。Legal　Issues。
　
　PETER　ELLIOT　REMEMBERED　JUNE　14；　1979；　AS　A　day　of　sudden　reverses。　He　began　at　8　A。M。　in　the　San　Francisco　law　firm　of　Sutherland；　Morton　&　O'Connell；　because　of　the　threatened　custody　suit　from　the　PPA…a　suit　which　became　all　the　more　important　now　that　he　was　planning　to　take　Amy　out　of　the　country。
　He　met　with　John　Morton　in　the　firm's　wood…paneled　library　overlooking　Grant　Street。　Morton　took　notes　on　a　yellow　legal　pad。　〃I　think　you're　all　right；〃　Morton　began；　〃but　let　me　get　a　few　facts。　Amy　is　a　gorilla？〃
　〃Yes；　a　female　mountain　gorilla。〃
　〃Age？〃
　〃She's　seven　now。〃
　〃So　she's　still　a　child？〃
　Elliot　explained　that　gorillas　matured　in　six　to　eight　years；　so　that　Amy　was　late　adolescent；　the　equivalent　of　a　sixteen…year…old　human　female。
　Morton　scratched　notes　on　a　pad。　〃Could　we　say　she's　still　a　minor？〃
　〃Do　we　want　to　say　that？〃
　〃I　think　so。〃
　〃Yes；　she's　still　a　minor；〃　Elliot　said。
　〃Where　did　she　e　from？　I　mean　originally。〃
　〃A　woman　tourist　named　Swenson　found　her　in　Africa；　in　a　village　called　Bagimindi。　Amy's　mother　had　been　killed　by　the　natives　for　food。　Mrs。　Swenson　bought　her　as　an　infant。〃
　〃So　she　was　not　bred　in　capt