I just finished reading a study called the "Hand-Rearing of Squirrel Monkeys
(Saimiri boliviensis) in CAPRIM."  You can find this study at:
http://www.brown.edu/Research/Primate/pn34-3.html

They hand-reared 9 of 32 squirrel monkeys born at CAPRIM (Centro Argentino de
Primates) during 1993-1994.  Hand-rearing means separation from the mother by
48 hours after birth, housing in transparent glass boxes by artificial cloth
mothers.  Food was infant formula (Wyeth then Nestle formula).  The naturally
reared infants were  in outside cages, with their mothers and breastfed
(although no where do they say the word breastfed--they say "naturally
reared."  No surprise that hand rearing had the higher rate of mortality.
They quote studies of human milk in regard to the kinds of formula needed
(interesting).  But what fascinated me was this comment:  "The importance of
the primate mother in temperature regulation of her infant has been
demonstrated in Macaca mulatta, particularly during the night, when the
infant's body temperature falls (Lubach et al., 1992) We have found that it
is also necessary to maintain the temperature in artificial mothers for
several months , not only for the first weeks of life."  One might believe
that since we humans are quite similiar to  primates, that our infants would
also need their mothers close by to regulate their temperatures at night.
But I trully felt sad for the infant monkeys (7 of the 9 were deliberately
separated from their mothers--what we still do in alot of hospitals).  That
scientists do not find this cruel is beyond my comprehension.  But I suppose
since we do it to our own infants, it is not considered cruel.  Aside from
the element of cruelty, hand-rearing causes significant mortality.  Of
course, I think the scientists believe that if they can design a better cloth
mother and a better formula they will have resolved this problem.  What is it
about science that there is such a drive to destroy mothering in animals and
in people?  Valerie

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