This rare, silent film made by the 6571st Aeromedical Research Laboratory at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico shows some of the pioneering medical research work done with primates. Some of the research at the USAF Missile Development Center was part of the space program and intended to establish whether monkeys or chimps were suited for spaceflight, and where “Chimponauts” Enos and Ham were examined after their historic flights. Films of this type were not widely disseminated by the Air Force or NASA for obvious reasons — they can be deeply disturbing to some individuals as it depicts helpless animals in difficult and sometimes painful situations.
The film begins with a shot of the exterior of a building at Holloman Air Force Base (:30). At :50 a USAF airplane delivers primates to the base. They are quickly moved (2:22) indoors. At 2:39 a new research subject is tied to a table for examination and given the name “Carolyn.” At 4:00 the monkey is given an injection near its eye. At 5:07 a research scientist writes down data. At 5:19 a primate is fed in its cage by a handler. At 6:27 a cage is brought to the lab. At 8:00 a large chimp looks out from its cage. At 8:08 the kitchen is shown with technicians making lunch. At 10:30 a monkey is shown in its cage. At 12:24 a primate is x-rayed. At 12:49, a chimp is shown wearing a clear plastic helmet, possibly a prototype space helmet (but might also be for medical research). At 13:27 the x-ray is studied by technicians. At 13:40 a chimp is shown strapped into a chair, similar to those used in spaceflight. At 14:01 another chimp is strapped into a chair. At 14:55 the chimp is shown reacting to illuminated lights on a simulated control panel. As blue lights illuminate the chimp turns them off by touching them. At 15:33 you can observe that the chimp has had the hair trimmed from his skull. At 15:47 the testing continues, this time with a device strapped to the chimp’s head. At 16:27 a technician takes notes on a graph of the chimp’s vital signs. At 17:49 a monkey is retrieved from its cage and moved into the hallway. It is then strapped into a test device (18:46).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
