Geoff Kenny[64]: I was associated with Dr Philip Lewis and Dr Airlie Ward who were veterinary officers at the CSL. My understanding of it was that the principal use to which the macaques monkeys were put was for the poliomyelitis vaccination program during the 1950s, which was a very big program.

In science as you know there has been a lot of rhesus monkey work but I think the second type of monkeys was the pigtail monkeys. I benefited from that poliomyelitis program because I was interested in the pineal gland and the monkeys had to be sacrificed in order to harvest the kidneys.

Apropos of what Jim Angus has said, I recall a Dr Ward in the late 1950s or early 1960s started a course at the Box Hill TAFE to train people to look after laboratory animals. I don't know what happened to that course.

Jim Angus: Just apropos of the Box Hill TAFE. There is an animal technicians' course still running there. We have some of those students come into our animal house for training experience. If you're going to look after these animals so that you've got them in peak condition, you have to have good people looking after them who are well trained. We take that very seriously in having our animal house staffed with people with that expertise.

John Pearn: I remember my visits to the animal house at CSL. I remember going with Struan. My memory is there was a particular day each week when the monkeys were bled - I think it was a Thursday. And I recall Struan saying that the monkeys knew which day was Thursday. They were caught in little nets and there was a great to-do as soon as any person entered the room. The monkeys rushed everywhere and the place was in turmoil.

I remember going to the animal house on two separate occasions. One was a non-bleeding day and the monkeys were all quite benign. On the other day, it was like going into a mad house with dozens of monkeys running up and down the cage and some clinging in the corner just as soon as someone entered the room.

Witness to the History of Australian Medicine