Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : The New Qualcomm - write what you like thread. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: pheilman_ who wrote (6800)	8/10/2004 12:16:53 AM
From: Jon Koplik	Respond to of 12247

In Pain, Gorilla Puts In a Call to the Dentist August 10, 2004 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WOODSIDE, Calif., Aug. 9 (AP) - When Koko the gorilla used the American Sign Language gesture for pain and pointed to her mouth, 12 specialists, including three dentists, sprang into action. Soon, Koko was undergoing her first full medical examination in about 20 years. The offending tooth was extracted, and the 33-year-old gorilla got a clean bill of health. About a month ago, Koko, a 300-plus-pound ape who became famous for mastering more than 1,000 signs, began telling the people who care for her at the Gorilla Foundation here that she was in pain. They quickly constructed a pain chart, offering her a scale from 1 dot to 10, and Koko frequently indicated that her pain was in the 7-to-9 range, a foundation spokeswoman said. Because anesthesia would be needed for the tooth extraction, her handlers used the opportunity to give Koko a head-to-toe exam. "She's quite articulate," said JohnPaul Slater, a volunteer at the Gorilla Foundation. "She'll tell us how bad she's feeling, how bad the pain is." The team came to Koko on Sunday, bringing portable X-ray and ultrasound machines. They set up shop at her "apartment," which looks like a remodeled boxcar, complete with a makeshift toilet, a television, a DVD player and lots of toys. After four hours of tests - including a colonoscopy, a gynecological exam, X-rays and ultrasounds - doctors pronounced her fit. Koko was due for a checkup. While gorillas in captivity are known to live into their 50's, they are susceptible to heart disease and thickening of the arteries. Koko and Ndume, her partner of 11 years (he does not know sign language), have been trying unsuccessfully to have a baby, and the doctors thought the checkup could let them know whether she had any biological problems preventing conception. They found none. Her teacher, Francine Patterson, was at her side when the anesthesiologist prepared to put her under in the morning, and apparently Koko asked to meet her specialists. They crowded around her, and Koko, who plays favorites, asked one woman wearing red to come closer. The woman handed her a business card, which Koko promptly ate. Otherwise, she was calm, said Dr. David Liang, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford. Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company.