Data Sheet 1_The first rodent behavioral study (1822) and the diffusion of human-bred albino rats and mice in the 19th century.pdf

Rodents, in particular rats and mice, are currently the most widely employed animal models in psychology and behavioral neuroscience. Nevertheless, an interesting historical question is: when was the first rodent behavioral study performed and by whom? The current article presents the first rodent behavioral study in the history of science: a case of interspecies social bonding between a rat and a dog, observed in 1822 by the British chemist Samuel Moss (1794–1868) and subsequently described by the same in a scientific article in 1836. In the present article, after a biographical sketch of Samuel Moss, I examine in detail the notable case of interspecies bonding observed by Moss. This case is notable under several points of view. First, Moss’s rat was an albino, a variety which at that time was extremely rare. Moreover, at that time, in the Western world rats were mostly seen as pest animals or baits for rat-catching sports, and were not kept as pets. The color of the rat played a key role in its fate, being the reason for which it was originally brought to Moss and for which Moss decided to keep it under his care. Third, the relationship that arose between the rat and the dog is even more surprising if we consider that the dog was a trained rat-catcher. Importantly, this rat-dog bonding case, which showcased the tameness of Moss’s albino rat in both lay and scientific publications, represented the first popularization of the docility of albino rats. After having outlined Moss’s case, considering the importance of albino rats in our current society, both in scientific research (where the albino rat has become the prototype of the laboratory rat) and as pets, I provide an historical contextualization regarding albino rodents, starting from the 17th century, and I then trace the history of the post-Moss diffusion of human-bred albino rats and mice in the 19th century.

啮齿动物（Rodents），尤其是大鼠和小鼠，目前是心理学与行为神经科学领域应用最广泛的动物模型。然而，一个颇具研究价值的历史问题亟待解答：科学史上首项啮齿动物行为研究于何时开展、又由何人完成？本文首次还原了这一里程碑式研究：1822年，英国化学家塞缪尔·莫斯（Samuel Moss，1794–1868）观察到大鼠与狗之间的跨物种社会联结案例，并于1836年由其本人将该发现发表于科学期刊中。

本文首先简要介绍塞缪尔·莫斯的生平，随后详细剖析莫斯所观察到的这一标志性跨物种联结案例。该案例从多个维度均具备特殊意义：其一，莫斯所用的实验对象为白化大鼠（albino rat），这一品种在当时极为稀有；其二，彼时西方社会普遍将大鼠视为有害生物或捕鼠活动的诱饵，极少将其作为宠物饲养，而这只大鼠的毛色正是其被带到莫斯身边、并被莫斯收养的核心原因；其三，倘若考虑到这只狗是经过专业训练的捕鼠犬，二者之间建立的亲密社会关系则更令人惊叹。值得注意的是，这一鼠犬跨物种联结案例通过大众与科学出版物，直观展现了莫斯所养白化大鼠的温顺特质，也成为了白化大鼠驯服性的首次大众普及。

在梳理完莫斯的案例后，考虑到白化啮齿动物在当代的重要地位——无论是作为科研模型（其中白化大鼠已成为实验大鼠的标准原型）还是宠物伴侣——本文将回溯17世纪以来白化啮齿动物的历史脉络，并梳理19世纪经莫斯之后，人工繁育的白化大鼠与小鼠的全球传播历程。