Monthly sanguineous discharges have been observed
among many monkeys. In the seventeenth century various observers in many
parts of the world--Bohnius, Peyer, Helbigius, Van der Wiel, and
others--noted menstruation in monkeys.[89] Buffon observed it among
various monkeys as well as in the orang-utan. J.G. St. Hilaire and Cuvier,
many years ago, declared that menstruation exists among a variety of
monkeys and lower apes. Rengger described a vaginal discharge in a species
of cebus in Paraguay, while Raciborski observed in the Jardin des Plantes
that the menstrual haemorrhage in guenons was so abundant that the floor of
the cage was covered by it to a considerable extent; the same variety of
monkey was observed at Surinam, by Hill, a surgeon in the Dutch army, who
noted an abundant sanguineous flow occurring at every new moon, and
lasting about three days, the animal at this time also showing signs of
sexual excitement.[90]
The macaque and the baboon appear to be the non-human animals, in which
menstruation has been most carefully observed. In the former, besides the
flow, Bland Sutton remarks that "all the naked or pale-colored parts of
the body, such as the face, neck, and ischial regions, assume a lively
pink color; in some cases, it is a vivid red."[91] The flow is slight, but
the coloring lasts several days, and in warm weather the labia are much
swollen.
Heape[92] has most fully and carefully described menstruation in monkeys.
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