The story of a boy named Donald and a chimpanzee named Gua, who were subjected to a "disturbing" experiment

Science knows dozens of cases when, for various reasons, children grew up with animals. Usually, such stories happen by chance, have a dramatic backstory, and almost always end sadly. American psychologists Winthrop and Louella Kellogg decided to take a different path. They took a baby chimpanzee into their home and began to raise it together with their son Donald. How do you think this unusual experience ended?

On June 26, 1931, the Kelloggs brought home a seven-month-old chimpanzee named Gua. The animal was to become a full-fledged member of the family and a companion in the games and development of their son Donald. Winthrop and Louella had long studied cases of Mowgli children and knew that children raised without human company adopt the habits of animals.

They were interested in another question: what would happen if you raised an animal like a child? Gua, a young female chimpanzee, was adopted into the family as Donald's sister. The monkey and the boy were dressed in similar clothes, fed at the same table, given the same toys, and put to sleep in cribs next to each other.

Unfortunately, that was not all. Later, this experiment would be called "disturbing." For nine months, Winthrop and Louella conducted various experiments on Donald and Gua for 12 hours every day. The resourcefulness of the boy's parents was astounding. They spun their son and the monkey around on chairs, unexpectedly fired a pistol behind their backs, and forced them to perform meaningless, monotonous actions for long periods of time. Psychologists carefully recorded all their observations in photographs, film, and detailed notes.

All this seems strange and cruel. But what were the scientists trying to achieve? Their task was later formulated by psychologist, writer and popularizer of science Theodore Dumas:

Today, the answer to this question is obvious even to high school students. But remember that this was almost 100 years ago. Dumas goes on to write:

The scientists planned to continue the experiment for five years. But it had to be urgently interrupted after nine months for an unexpected reason. No, Gua did not turn into a human during this time. But Donald began to resemble a chimpanzee more and more. He grunted, demanding food, fought with Gua in a completely monkey-like manner, and even began to bite.

The experimenters were also concerned that the chimpanzee was growing older and becoming stronger. Donald was noticeably inferior to her in physical development, and the monkey could accidentally or intentionally harm him. The study was completed, and on March 28, 1932, Gua, who had lived among people for almost a year, was returned to the monkey nursery.

Since the chimpanzee had no experience communicating with her own kind, her fellows did not accept her well. As a result, Gua had to be locked in a separate enclosure, where the poor animal stayed for the rest of her life. The chimpanzee, who was trying to make a human, lived only a year after returning to the nursery. At three years old, she died of a heart attack.

What happened to Donald Kellogg? Alas, nothing good happened to him either. Apparently, the experiment left him with deep psychological trauma. He grew up withdrawn and indecisive, and even as an adult, he lived at his parents' house. Donald committed suicide in 1973 at the age of 43. This happened a few weeks after his last parent passed away, and he was left alone.

The Kellogg experiment raised many ethical questions and challenged the boundaries of scientific research. Today, such experiments would be impossible, but the debate about the influence of nature and nurture continues. In what cases do you think the environment can change the natural characteristics of a person or animal? Where do you think the line is drawn in scientific experiments?