In preparing this presentation, my first impulse was to get my leather couch on wheels, bring it in and free-associate on my research problems for the time allotted. However, when the initial urge passed, I asked myself, "How can I provide some real data in this area?" Subsequently, I established three broad areas to examine. Also, I will attempt to provide tentative answers.

I have constrained my investigation to the general area of basic research, marine mammals and their health in general. The three general areas are:

1. How can we answer the questions "is this animal healthy?" and "How healthy is he really?" To establish a frame of reference, we used an organization which was recently published by J. E. Saidla (1978) in the Journal of the American Animal Hospital who suggested a comprehensive data base for canine health evaluations and care. 
2. What are the main problems of the basic researcher who relates to aquatic animals? Rather than inflict you with my own therapeutic needs, I wrote letters to twenty authors who have published in the general area of marine mammal basic studies in the last five years. These individuals represent workers in the United States, Canada England and Europe.
3. Is there data being published that is easily available on specific diseases, treatments and/or diagnostic problems in marine mammals? If it is available, what quantities are available? The easiest way to solve this is through a computerized search of the National Library of Medicine.

 We simulated a harassed basic researcher with a marine mammal health problem and a need for more information. This was done with a senior veterinary student who was allotted one day to compare the available data on marine mammals with the requirements of the data base of Saidla (1978) In Table 1, items appropriate for marine animals are listed using Saidla (1978) as a model.

The task of the simulated basic researcher was to seek marine mammal information from the library sources in the main categories considered clinically important (A-M, Table 1). Typically, little was available on histories of diseased animals. Nothing was found concerning the general appearance and condition of the integument. Musculoskeletal data was poor. We found a few data sources dealing with the circulatory and respiratory systems. Data on the digestive and genito-urinary areas were not available. Only in the laboratory data area, including blood and chemistries, could we find a mass of data that is readily available and of clinical use. Thus, out of 15 categories identified as clinically important by Saidla, we have approximately 12 applicable areas in which one can find very little information from a library search of reasonable diligence.

Table 1. Abbreviated Clinical Data Base Modified After Saidla (1978).

In regard to question two, that is, "What are the basic researcher's problems?" I received 16 replies from 20 inquiries. Respondents were asked to confine their "problems" to a hierarchy of five.  I was interested most in hearing just those things that were topmost in their minds. Some of the replies were quite long with respondents apparently taking the opportunity to free-associate. The replies seemed to fall into two basic categories: (1) problems which were animal oriented and (2) problems which were researcher oriented.

Among the animal oriented problems, the respondents indicated that much more information was needed on anesthesia procedures. The present methods, although adequate, are extremely complex, dangerous, difficult to handle, expensive and even a little variable. Tranquilizers and hypnotics are needed for these animals but are very poorly understood although there is new literature available in the Russian language. The secondary pharmacological effects upon marine mammals of various compounds and therapeutic agents are poorly understood. More information on simple methods for respiratory assistance was considered very desirable. Among diseases of these animals, it was thought that diagnostic tests for specific disease entities and normative values for various physiological variables were very important. While discussing these, most respondents indicated that there was a great need for improved data collection and dissemination. The "single source" textual material where one could look for answers to health problems does not seem to be available.

Several researchers felt that nutritional requirements should be better established. A very valuable adjunct would be a standard commercially available diet, particularly in terms of the current high cost of food fish for marine mammals. The existing food sources commercially available for feeding marine mammals appear to be relatively unpredictable. Depending upon the individual supplier, the type of food available next month may be quite different from that available this month.

The other category of answers which were received was in the area of research oriented problems. Most researchers, particularly those in England, responded that the financial problems of doing research in marine mammals are great. The few in the United States were somewhat less worried by money. Some comments indicated that the greatest amount of marine mammal research in progress is in the U.S.S.R. For independent researchers in the U.S.S.R., there is no great financial difficulty. There is, then, an ordered sequence (of sorts) of financial difficulty on an international scale.  This will be shown later as a correlation with productivity. The second area of difficulty was in the animal collection/procurement area. Many thought that the present situation in the United States and Europe was one of great expense coupled with a serious administrative "overhead" problem. That is a very benign term which really deals with several difficulties relative to federal regulations, paperwork and the difficulties of actually obtaining and maintaining dolphins within a framework of legality.  One worker pointed out that even if one has succeeded in obtaining the permit to take and maintain animals in the United States, the problems have only begun. There is a continuing drizzle of paperwork whose requirements change over a period of years and lead to continuing difficulty and confusion. Many of the respondents indicated that they would like to see these simplified if at all possible.

We simulated a harassed basic researcher with a marine mammal health problem and a need for more information. This was done with a senior veterinary student who was allotted one day to compare the available data on marine mammals with the requirements of the data base of Saidla (1978) In Table 1, items appropriate for marine animals are listed using Saidla (1978) as a model.

The task of the simulated basic researcher was to seek marine mammal information from the library sources in the main categories considered clinically important (A-M, Table 1). Typically, little was available on histories of diseased animals. Nothing was found concerning the general appearance and condition of the integument. Musculoskeletal data was poor. We found a few data sources dealing with the circulatory and respiratory systems. Data on the digestive and genito-urinary areas were not available. Only in the laboratory data area, including blood and chemistries, could we find a mass of data that is readily available and of clinical use. Thus, out of 15 categories identified as clinically important by Saidla, we have approximately 12 applicable areas in which one can find very little information from a library search of reasonable diligence.

In regard to question two, that is, "What are the basic researcher's problems?" I received 16 replies from 20 inquiries. Respondents were asked to confine their "problems" to a hierarchy of five.  I was interested most in hearing just those things that were topmost in their minds. Some of the replies were quite long with respondents apparently taking the opportunity to free-associate. The replies seemed to fall into two basic categories: (1) problems which were animal oriented and (2) problems which were researcher oriented.

Among the animal oriented problems, the respondents indicated that much more information was needed on anesthesia procedures. The present methods, although adequate, are extremely complex, dangerous, difficult to handle, expensive and even a little variable. Tranquilizers and hypnotics are needed for these animals but are very poorly understood although there is new literature available in the Russian language. The secondary pharmacological effects upon marine mammals of various compounds and therapeutic agents are poorly understood. More information on simple methods for respiratory assistance was considered very desirable.  Among diseases of these animals, it was thought that diagnostic tests for specific disease entities and normative values for various physiological variables were very important. While discussing these, most respondents indicated that there was a great need for improved data collection and dissemination. The "single source" textual material where one could look for answers to health problems does not seem to be available.

Several researchers felt that nutritional requirements should be better established. A very valuable adjunct would be a standard commercially available diet, particularly in terms of the current high cost of food fish for marine mammals. The existing food sources commercially available for feeding marine mammals appear to be relatively unpredictable. Depending upon the individual supplier, the type of food available next month may be quite different from that available this month.

The other category of answers which were received was in the area of research oriented problems. Most researchers, particularly those in England, responded that the financial problems of doing research in marine mammals are great. The few in the United States were somewhat less worried by money.  Some comments indicated that the greatest amount of marine mammal research in progress is in the U.S.S.R. For independent researchers in the U.S.S.R., there is no great financial difficulty. There is, then, an ordered sequence (of sorts) of financial difficulty on an international scale. This will be shown later as a correlation with productivity. The second area of difficulty was in the animal collection/procurement area. Many thought that the present situation in the United States and Europe was one of great expense coupled with a serious administrative "overhead" problem. That is a very benign term which really deals with several difficulties relative to federal regulations, paperwork and the difficulties of actually obtaining and maintaining dolphins within a framework of legality. One worker pointed out that even if one has succeeded in obtaining the permit to take and maintain animals in the United States, the problems have only begun. There is a continuing drizzle of paperwork whose requirements change over a period of years and lead to continuing difficulty and confusion. Many of the respondents indicated that they would like to see these simplified if at all possible.

Reference

1. Saidla, John E. Problem-oriented medicine for the veterinarian.  Journal of the American Animal Hospital (May/June): 307-330, 1978.