Motor skills of infant rhesus monkeys with thalidomide‐induced forelimb malformations

The motor skills of 2 infant rhesus monkeys with thalidomide‐induced forelimb malformations were compared with those of normal infants of similar age and sex over an 8‐month period. In general, the experimental animals engaged in locomotor and manipulatory activities at about the same frequency as the normal subjects, but did so by development of compensatory response patterns. For instance, feet and mouth were used for activities that the normal animal performs manually.