DR Gerald Mulvaney, a Jamaican living in the United States, has been practising obstetrics/gynaecology for 30 years and has operated on hundreds of women. Yet, it is from a 400-pound gorilla that he has gained one of the most rewarding experiences of his career.

Dr Gerald Mulvaney, the Jamaican obstetrician/gynaecologist who performed a hysterectomy on a 400-pound gorilla.

Three Wednesdays ago - August 27 - Mulvaney, his partner at the North Carolina Centre for Reproductive Medicine (NCCRM), Dr Sameh Toma, and senior veterinarian at the North Carolina Zoological Park, Dr Ryan De Voe, successfully performed a hysterectomy on a 38-year-old gorilla named Donna.

Donna, who was diagnosed last November, is said to be recovering well from surgery.

"For years we've been experimenting with animals for the betterment of humans. We've been using them really, so now we've been able to give back to the animal kingdom," Mulvaney recently told the Sunday Observer from his home in North Carolina.

The gynaecologist was called in to examine Donna after her monthly flow failed to stop and it was felt that her problem required more expertise than the vets could offer.

Medical staff from the North Carolina Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Duke University Medical Centre prepare Donna the gorilla for surgery on August 27.

"The zoo reached out to doctors Toma and Mulvaney for help since gorilla reproductive anatomy, physiology and pathology are so similar to that of humans," Mulvaney's office said.

On that occasion, Mulvaney and Toma were joined by another medical doctor, Fidel Valea. They tried to eliminate the malignant cells in Donna's womb, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

"She had been bleeding excessively for a period of time and we suspected cancer of the uterus. So, we did a vaginal procedure but it didn't cure her," Mulvaney said.

"The gorilla is a precious animal so we tried to prolong her life. That's why we decided to do the hysterectomy."

Western Lowland gorillas are said to be an endangered species. They are the largest animals in the primate class and they populate dense forests and lowland swamps in the African countries of Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. Full-grown adult Western Lowland gorillas range in height from five feet to six feet and they can weigh anywhere between 160 pounds and 400 pounds. In the wild, they live 30 or 40 years but in captivity, their lifespan is extended by 10 years.

Since the procedure, described by the doctors as "difficult and intricate", Donna has been swinging down the road to recovery.
"She's doing very well post-operatively," Mulvaney told the Sunday Observer.

"Donna is doing great. She recovered from anaesthesia very quickly and began taking oral fluids and some fruit the morning after surgery," DeVoe reported. "When I went to visit her I honestly couldn't tell anything had happened to her. She is one tough monkey."

"Our vast experience and deep fund of knowledge in human medicine has allowed us to provide assistance to our veterinary colleagues in difficult surgical cases in which they are less experienced due to the rarity of this type of procedure in animals," Mulvaney said in a release issued by his office Wednesday.

"The anatomy of the female gorilla is close enough to the human anatomy in that it allows us to use skills that have been refined over the years because of large volumes of human surgeries similar to this one. This has provided a co-operative relationship between human and veterinary medicine that we encourage and hope to continue in the future."

The value of the cooperation has not been lost on the doctor's teenaged son Graham.

"I think it's pretty cool that we can apply the same concepts from humans to animals," said the prospective biomedical engineering student whose parents are both doctors.

Mulvaney was a boy when he migrated to the United States in 1968. He studied at Boston University and trained at the King's County Hospital in Brooklyn. After that, he practised for three years, taught for seven more, then started his private practice in 1981.

In Jamaica, he lived in Allman Town and did his early schooling at Vaz Preparatory and St George's College.

"I come home three or four times a year," he said, before declaring how proud he was of the performance of Jamaica's Olympic team in China.

Mulvaney is married and has four children. He operates Triangle OB/GYN and the North Carolina Centre for Reproductive Medicine (NCCRM) in Cary and Greensboro, North Carolina.

Executive Class

Gardens with Gravel

Death to the Mullet!