In the 18th century Buffon began working on a comparative anatomy between humans and other animals. George Stubbs created excruciatingly detailed picture books that compared the musculature of humans, horses, and ostriches--yes an unlikely combination. In the 1800s medicine abandoned the comparisons in an anthropocentric fit. Now the comparative medicine is back in style. See the June 10, 2012 NY Times Magazine article.
So you can find out that (to quote the article):
- Melanoma has been diagnosed in the bodies of animals from penguins to buffalo.
- Koalas in Australia are in the middle of a rampant epidemic of chlamydia. Yes, that kind — sexually transmitted.
- And animals are susceptible to obesity and diabetes — two pressing concerns for human health.
Once again, corporeality weighs upon any anthropocentric dream of supremacy over the other animals.
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