For many decades, ablation experiments were used to evaluate the function of central nervous system structures in primates. The use of this technique has greatly diminished with the development of neuronal unit recording. Nevertheless, the available films and written descriptions from prior ablation studies can still be used to further our understanding of: (1) the functional organization of the primate brain; (2) the differences in function between similar cerebral structures in primates and other mammals, and (3) ontogenetic changes in the functional characteristics of cerebral structures. We are in the process of making some of the films and records from these prior studies available to interested scientists.