Enthusiast or fanatic? Experiments beyond the bounds, which were carried out by the Soviet

Ivanov was a specialist in the field of artificial insemination and interspecific hybridization. And he decided to cross a man and a monkey. The Soviet authorities supported and financed the idea. Because she allegedly played an important scientific role. How did Ivanov’s efforts end?

Ilya Ivanovich sent an application for funds to the People’s Commissar of Education in 1924. The man was enthusiastic, confident of success and believed that the breeding of a hybrid of man and ape would make a breakthrough in science.

Funds were allocated the following year. For those times, huge – 10 thousand dollars. Before that, there were also similar attempts, but less bold. In addition, they were seen as blasphemy and interference with God’s plan. But after the revolution, many barriers fell. In addition, Ivanov was an authoritative person in his field – it was he who was the founder of the method of artificial insemination of farm animals.

In addition, he could support theoretical developments with real results. Ivanov managed to breed a hybrid of a zebra and a donkey, a bison and a cow, a cow and an antelope.

French Guinea, its remote island, was chosen as a testing ground for research. Six months later, there were still no results, because the team could not even find specimens suitable for hybridization. It was adult chimpanzees that were needed, and the locals refused to help in the capture.

As a result, the experimental specimens – six sexually mature females, a couple of males and several adolescents were caught. Local women, for obvious reasons, flatly refused to participate in the crazy experiment. As a result, several females were fertilized with human sperm. But then the funds ran out. The scientist began to ask for more, but without results he was refused. Then Ivanov took the animals with him and returned home. None of the females became pregnant.

The professor decided to conduct an experiment on artificial insemination of female volunteers, but already at home. Because prejudiced twilight Africans would never agree to such a thing. Surprisingly, there were such, a test group of five people. It was decided to conduct experiments on the territory of the Sukhumi Reserve. But by that time, the only suitable male orangutan had died. We had to wait for a new batch of monkeys.

The process of delivering animals from abroad was lengthy and involved paperwork. Just at this time, in the 1930s, a campaign began to clean up the scientific community from alien pests. Ivanov also fell into this category. The professor was removed and exiled to Alma-Ata, where he continued to work at the veterinary institute for some time, and after a couple of years he died of a stroke.

Experiments on the breeding of gorilloid mutants (at least official ones) were no longer carried out in the USSR. It’s time for other problems. And although, due to ethical standards, such experiments are unlikely today, Ivanov’s research still gives some food for thought to modern scientists.