Abstract
This report describes new medical apparatuses as they have been applied to morphological studies on primates, especially on the four species of extant great apes (Pan troglodytes, Pan paniscus, Gorilla gorilla, Pongo pygmaeus). We report here on the results of studies using the following apparatuses; pQCT (peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptometry). The high-resolution tomograms offered by pQCT and MRI are fine enough to study, without invasion or destruction, the detailed morphology (including internal structure, density, and other physical parameters) of living animals, precious specimens, and fossils. The use of serial tomograms, AVS (Application Visualization System), offers three-dimensional images, while pQCT and DEXA offer various parameters vital to studies of biomechanics, nutrition, and ecology; for example, bone mineral density either in the cortical or trabecular parts of bone or the percentage of fat. These new methods will certainly contribute much to morphological, ecological, and physiological studies on primates.
