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Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Its Effects on a Male Asiatic ElephantAuthor(s): Louis Jolyon West, Chester M. Pierce, Warren D. ThomasSource: Science, New Series, Vol. 138, No. 3545 (Dec. 7, 1962), pp. 1100-1103Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1709491

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SPACECRAFT SAERFROLLING I~STABILIZED V

0 lOY

- 5

r+5v\AJA~~v ;~,sN --}14v

40 0440 05*0 O20 00$00 0or. 20 0&30 06:40 065

GMT, hr, min

Fig. 2. Interplanetary magnetic field mea-

surements before and after the stabiliza-

tion of the spacecraft 3 September 1962.

The data preceding the gaps in the curves

were obtained while the spacecraft was

rolling about the Z-axis. The ambient

field was relatively undisturbed. Bz was

nearly constant, while Bx and By showed

sinusoidal variations produced mainly by

the rolling motion. The curves that fol-

low the break in the data were obtained

after the spacecraft was stabilized. Bz

was virtually unchanged. Bx and By were

also nearly constant after the spacecraft

stopped rolling. Note that Bx and By are

approximately equal on both sides of the

break; the spacecraft orientation cor-

responding to the data taken just beforethe break was within 10 degrees of the

stabilized orientation.

Preliminary analysis of the Mariner

II magnetometer data has also pro-

duced some new information. These

results, including correlations with the

plasma data, do not agree in an ob-

vious way with any simple model of

the interplanetary medium (2). Aver-

aged over almost any period of several

hours, the transverse component of the

interplanetary field appears to lie morenearly in, rather than normal to, the

plane of the ecliptic (the plane of the

earth's orbit). However, there is a

substantial, fluctuating component per-

pendicular to the ecliptic plane. Fur-

ther investigation should establish

whether or not its average, over periods

of days, is zero. During the first ten

days of the flight, the transverse com-

ponent was usually directed toward the

east, opposite to the direction of plane-

tary motion (see p,Fig. 1). Our earlier

speculation (1) that in very quiet pe-

riods the transverse component might

be mainly perpendicular to the eclipticplane is inconsistent with the Mariner

II data for this period. During this

same period the range of variations in

the radial-field component, ABz (Fig.

1), was typically 5 to 10 gamma.

When the plasma density and ve-

locity increase during magnetic-storm

intervals, the interplanetary field be-

comes larger and more irregular. Many

of the changes in the field components

correlate in detail with simultaneous

changes in the plasma Ftux.Often, how-

11OQ

ever, the plasma and field variations

cannot be readily correlated. A con-

sistent pattern has not yet been identi-

fied that can be ascribed to simple

structures or to waves. No correlations

have been noted that correspond to the

plasma-field correlations observed byExplorer X (3) near the earth in which

regions of intense plasma flux and in-tense magnetic flux alternated.

The orientation of the spacecraft,

and therefore of the magnetometer, is

controlled so that the Z-axis points to-

-ward the sun. The orientations of the

other two orthogonal axes, X and Y,depend upon the mode of operation of

the spacecraft. From 29 August to 3

September the spacecraft was allowed

to roll about the Z-axis, so that the

X- and Y-magnetometer sensors, al-

though remaining perpendicular to the

spacecraft-sun direction, also rotated

about the Z-axis. On 3 September the

orientation of the X- and Y-axes wasstabilized with the Y-axis lying in a

plane defined by the sun, earth, and

spacecraft.The magnetometer measurements

obtained immediately preceding, and

immediately following, the stabilization

of the spacecraft about its roll axis are

shown in Fig. 2. Since the scientific in-

struments were inoperative during stabi-

lization, there is a gap in the measure-

ments. The variation in the X- and Y-

components during the period pre-

ceding the stabilization is attributable

principally to the rolling of the space-

craft. The contribution from the trans-

verse interplanetary field, when aver-

aged over many complete revolutions,is zero. The average field values repre-

sent the X- and Y-spacecraft field com-

ponents. Fortunately, the interplanetary

field was relatively undisturbed during

this period.

The center-to-peak amplitude of the

variations in the X- and Y-components

is a measure of the transverse com-

ponent of the interplanetary field. Dur-

ing the period shown in Fig. 2, the com-

ponent was approximately 3 gamma.The spacecraft made almost one com-

plete revolution (approximately 35O0)

about the Z-axis between the end of

the rolling period and stabilization.

Thus, components measured just be-

fore, and just after, stabilization are

approximately equal. Since the orienta-

tion of the Z-axis was not affected by

stabilization, and since conditions were

magnetically quiet, the measurements

of Bz show very little change (4).

P. J. COLEMAN,R.

University of California, Los Angeles

LEVERETT DAVIS, JR.

California Institute of Technology,Pasadena

E. J. SMITH

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena

C. P. SONETT

Ames Research Center, Moffett Field,

California

References and Note

1. P. J. Coleman, L. Davis, C. P. Sonett, Phys.

Rev. Letters 5, 43 (1960).

2. E. N. Parker, Astrophys. J. 133, 1014 (1961);

T. Gold, J. Geophys. Res. 64, 1665 (1959);

J. H. Piddington, Planetary Space Sci. 9,

305 (1962).3. J. P. Heppner, N. F. Ness, T. L. Skillman,

C. S. Scearce, J. Phys. Soc. Japan 17, Sup-

plement A-Il, 546 (1962); H. S. Bridge, C.

Dilworth, A. J. Lazarus, E. F. Lyon, B.Rossi, F. Scherb, Ibid. p. 553.

4. We acknowledge the assistance of B. V.

Connor, magnetometer project engineer, and

K. Heftman, scientific data coordinator. Sup-

ported by contracts with the National Aero-

nautics and Space Administration.

23 November 1962

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Its Effects on a Male Asiatic Elephant

Because of his remarkable intelli-

gence, his extended life span, his ca-

pacity for highly organized group re-

lationships, and his extraordinarypsychobiology in general, the elephant

is an animal of great interest to the

zoologist and the comparative psychol-

ogist. It has only been in recent years

that the physiology of the elephant has

received the attention of scientists (1).

There is now a growing interest in this

animal on the part of psychiatrists (2).

One of the strangest things about

elephants is the phenomenon of going

"on musth" This syndrome, a form of

madness which occurs almost exclu-

sively in the males, begins with early

adulthood (when the elephant is be-

tween 12 and 20 years old) and con-

tinues to occur once or twice a yearuntil after the involutional period

(around age 45 to 50). As he enters

a period of musth, the bull elephant

begins to show signs of restlessness and

irritability, his eyes water, and the slits

like bilateral temporal gland (located

midway between the eye and ear)

starts to excrete a brown, sticky fluid.

Within 48 to 72 hours there is a vio-

lent change in the animal's behavior.

Normally cooperative and tamable, the

elephant now runs berserk for a period

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of about 2 weeks, during which timehe may attack or -attempt to destroyanything in his path.

That the activity of the bull elephantduring musth is not simply a sexual ex-citement (like rut) is suggested by thefact that he is as likely to attack a fe-male as to mount her during this period.

Furthermore, mating behavior on thepart of the bull elephant occurs at anytime of the year that -a receptive cowbecomes available (3).

Because he goes on musth, the maleelephant can be a most dangerous beasteven in his role as a working animal inAsia. There are fewer than a dozenmale elephants captive in the UnitedStates. Several have been destroyed inthe past because of the hazard theycreated. Nearly all of the elephantsin zoos, menageries, carnivals, and cir-cuses are females, most of them Indian(Asiatic) rather than the larger Afri-

can subspecies.The male elephant's periodic mad-

ness is an almost unique phenomenonin nature, and it provides an interest-ing opportunity for psychiatric re-search. What is the mysterious fluid ex-creted by the temporal gland duringmusth? Does a simultaneous internalsecretion intoxicate the animal? Or isthe elephant's glandular disturbancemerely a reflection of a more profoundinner periodic hormonal thunderstormwhich also disrupts his brain and be-havior?

Recently we decided to attempt toinduce experimentally a behavioralaberration that might resemble thephenomenon of going on musth. Theanimal involved was Tusko (estimatedage, 14 years), a male Indian elephant(Elephas maximus indices) that wasbeing boarded at the Lincoln Park Zooin Oklahoma City. D-Lysergic acid di-ethylamide (LSD) (4) was chosen asthe psychotomimetic agent because ofits well-known personality-disruptingeffect upon humans and other animals.Should Tusko's reaction to an injectionof LSD resemble going on musth, wewanted

to see whether there wouldoccur simultaneously an excretion ofthe temporal glands and, if possible, tocollect some of the fluid.

A dose of 100 to 200 /1g (0.1 to 0.2mg) of LSD administered orally to hu-mans has usually sufficed to producefor several hours a marked mental dis-turbance in some ways similar to thenaturally occurring psychoses and re-actions of delirium. Higher dosages(up to 0.02 mg/kg) have produced amarked sympathomirneticeffect, with

7 DECEMBER 1962

dilatation of the pupils, hyper-reflexia,hypertension, elevated temperature,tremor, sweating, illusions, vivid vis-ual hallucinations, and grossly disor-ganized psychotic thought and be-havior. No lethal doses in man havebeen recorded, although there havebeen instances of the misuse of LSD

in its clinical application to humansubjects (5).

Proportionately much larger doseshave been required to obtain compa-rable results in lower animals. In orderto produce in the rhesus macaque asensory blockade sufficient to causeloss of position sense and temporaryblindness, Evarts gave doses as largeas 0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg (6). Similar dosesmust be given to produce a similareffect in the cat. The effecting of evena transient rage- reaction in the catusually requires intravenous adminis-tration of at least 015 mg/kg. Doses

up to 6.5 mg/kg given intravenouslyare required to kill a cat.

The amount of LSD finally adminis-tered to Tusko, by intramuscular injec-tion was 0.1 mg/kg, or 297 mg, in 5 mlof distilled water, since the animalweighed an estimated 6500 to 7000pounds (2954 to 3182 kg) (7). If theelephant's sensitivity were of the orderof that of a human being, this wouldrepresent a considerable overdose.However, if the elephant's dose require-ments in milligrams per kilogram weresimilar to those of other animals (in-cluding primates and cats), such adose would at best be of borderlineeffectiveness. Since massive doses ofsuccinylcholine had been used by oneof us (W.D.T.) in attempts to destroyelephants in the field, and since evenenormous doses (20 ml of a saturatedsolution given intramuscularly) werefound to require almost 30 minutes toproduce a reaction, we considered thatthe elephant possessed substantial re-sistance to neurotropic agents and pre-dicted that we were unlikely to seemuch reaction with this dosage ofLSD.

Early in the morning of the day foradministering the control, 2 August1962, Tusko received 1.5 million unitsof benzathine penicillin G as a controlor placebo injection which would alsoprotect him from infection. The medi-cation was injected into the glutealmuscles by a cartridge-syringe firedfrom a rifle powered by compressedCO2. The elephant's mmediate tartleresponse to the injection, and his sub-sequent 2 or 3 minutes of restlessnessfollowed by normal behavior through-

out the day, were recorded on motion-picture film and noted by observers.The procedures employed on the con-trol day were devised to documentbehavior'with which Tusko's responseto the next day's experimental situa-tion could be compared.

At 8 A.M. on the second, or experi-

mental, day the LSD was similarly in-jected. Tusko began trumpeting andrushing around the pen, a reaction notunlike the one he had shown the daybefore. However, this time his restless-ness appeared to increase for 3 minutesafter the injection; then he stoppedrunning and showed signs of markedincoordination. His mate (Judy, a 15-year-old female) approached him andappeared to attempt to support him.He began to sway, his hindquartersbuckled, and it became increasinglydifficult for him to maintain himselfupright. Five minutes after the injec-

tion he trumpeted, collapsed, fell heav-ily onto his right side, defecated, andwent into status epilepticus. The limbson the left side were hyperextended andheld stiffly out from the body; thelimbs on the right side were drawnup in partial flexion; there were trem-ors throughout. The eyes were closedand showed a spasm of the orbicularisocculi; the eyeballs were turned sharplyto the left, with markedly dilated pu-pils. The mouth was open, but breath-ing was extremely labored and stertor-ous, giving the impression of highrespiratory obstruction due to

laryngealspasm. The tongue, which had beenbitten, was cyanotic. The picture wasthat of a tonic left-sided seizure inwhich mild clonic movements werepresent.

At 8:20 A.M. promazine hydrochlo-ride was administered intravenously in-to the ear in an attempt to alleviate theanimal's marked spastic reaction. Overa period of 11 minutes 2800 mg wasgiven. The violence of the tonic aspectof the seizure appeared to be relievedpartially by these measures, and respi-ration improved. However, over the

next hour the picture changed verylittle. Abdominal tympany developed.Despite a last-minute effort to

-save

the animal with an intravenous in-jection of pentobarbital sodium, hedied 1 hour and 40 minutes after theLSD had been injected.

A necropsy confirmed the impressionof death by strangulationsecondary tolaryngeal spasm. Tusko's sexual ma-turity, previously suggested by the ob-servation of his copulatory behaviorwith a receptive female and by the

1.101

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Fig. 1. Cross section of temporal gland of the male Asiatic elephant Tusko, showingtwo types of glandular cells. Those on the left show a uniformly eosinophilic cytoplasm.Those clustered on the right show a more vacuolated cytoplasm and perhaps slightlysmaller nuclei. (Hematoxylin and eosin stain) (About x 376)

report of his prior episode of going

on musth, was confirmed at necropsyby the finding of adult testes with well-developed spermatogenic elements andnumerous mature spermatozoa. Blood

samples were collected from cerebralveins and from the heart at the vena

cava. Serum sodium (137 and 138.5

milliequivalents per liter) was in therange that is normal for human beings,but potassium was high (9.7 and 10.0meq./lit.). The pericardial fluid con-

tained sodium (100.0 meq./lit.) andpotassium (3.8 meq./lit.) but no ceru-

loplasmin. Unfortunately, clear cere-brospinal fluid was not obtained. Thebrain content of serum ceruloplasmin(41.7 mg per 100 kg) was substan-tially lower than the heart content

(51.0 mg per 100 kg); both values

are higher than normal values for hu-

man beings (15 to 35 mg per 100 kg)

(8).

Immediate dissection of the temporalgland revealed no characteristic darkbrown fluid in the duct. However, the

microscopic structure of the temporalgland (see Fig. 1) is unique, to ourknowledge and to that of several indi-viduals whom we consulted. Of great

interest is the finding that two distinct

types of cells are present, supportingthe possibility that the gland may func-tion as both an exocrine and an en-docrine organ (9).

1102

It is known that individual differ-ences in reaction to drugs exist amongelephants as among humans. Even so,the elephant's rapid collapse and deathare remarkable. It is possible, but un-

likely, that the LSD was delivered in-travenously; with injection of the typeused it is not possible to take the

usual precautions, but the instantane-ous explosive injection would probablycollapse a vein. The possibility of ana-phylactic shock seems remote, sincethe picture was not truly characteristicof anaphylaxis, and it would be diffi-cult to postulate the basis for sensi-tization. However, since Tusko's formerowner reported one instance of hishaving gone on musth, autosensitiza-tion cannot be completely ruled out.

This would imply, of course, a closebiochemical similarity between LSD

and the unknown but perhaps potentintoxicant in the musth secretion. Sen-

sitization on any other basis seemshighly improbable.

It is also possible that the LSDwas not widely distributed throughoutthe elephant's body but was somehow

rapidly concentrated in the nervous

system. If such were the case, the cal-

culation of LSD dosage on the basis of

milligrams per killigram of total bodyweight would be inappropriate, and

some other criterion, such as brain

size, should be considered. The brain

of the mature elephant is about threeto four times the size of man's.Tusko'sbrain weighed 3700 g (as comparedwith 1300 g for that of the averageadult human male).

Other specimens and other dosagesmust be studied to clarify these issues.

Our current predictions and conclu-sions are these: (i) a chemically inducedpseudo-musth will not cause the tem-poral gland to secrete, but a naturalinternal secretion of the gland doesplay a causative role in precipitatingthe male elephant's madness; (ii)chemically this secretion may well re-semble LSD or other known bio-logically active psychotomimetic sub-stances; and (iii) a male elephantwhose temporal glands had been sur-gically removed early in life mightgrow up to be a sexually capable butbehaviorally tractable animal, one that

never went on musth.It appears that the elephant ishighly sensitive to the effects of LSD-a finding which may prove to bevaluable in elephant-control work inAfrica. The death of Tusko suggeststhe nature of the danger, and the mostlikely cause of death should a lethaloverdose be taken by a human. De-spite efforts by its manufacturer toprevent misuse of the drug, LSD hasbeen increasingly and sometimes irre-sponsibly administered to humans asa putative adjunct to psychotherapy.The possibility of suicide or even

homicide by LSD cannot be ignored.Treatmentof an individual in extremisfrom LSD poisoning would be sympto-matic, but a possible emergency re-

quirement for anticonvulsant medica-tion, and for a muscle relaxant suchas succinylcholine, is suggested fromthe results of this single experiment

(10).Louis JOLYONWEST

CHESTER M. PIERCE

Departmentof Psychiatry,Neurology,and Behavioral Sciences, Universityof OklahomaSchool of Medicine,Oklahoma City

WARREN D. THOMASLincolnParkZoo, OklahomaCity

References and Notes

1. F. G. Benedict, The Physiology of the Ele-

phant (Carnegie Institution, Washington,

D.C., 1936).

2. See C. M. Pierce, L. J. West, W. D. Thomas,

J. L. Mathis, "Of elephants and psychiatry,"

in preparation.

3. R. Carrington, Elephants (Basic Books, New

York, 1959); J. H. Williams, Elephant Bill

(Viking, New York, 1960).

4. The LSD used in this experiment was gen-

erously provided by the Sandoz Pharma-

ceutical Company.

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5. S. Cohen and K. S. Ditman, J. Am. Med.Assoc. 181, 161 (1962).

6. E. V. Evarts, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sca. 66,479 (1957).

7. The medication was prepared by Dr. JohnH. Gogerty, assistant professor of pharma-cology, University of Oklahoma School ofMedicine. Dr. Gogerty also served as con-sultant in the calculation of the LSD dos-age.

8. The biochemical determinations were carriedout by Dr. 0. Boyd Houchin, assistant pro-fessor of research biochemistry and psy-chiatry, University of Oklahoma School ofMedicine.

9. The necropsy and subsequent anatomical ex-aminations were carried out by ProfessorWilliam E. Jaques and other members ofthe department of pathology, University ofOklahoma School of Medicine.

10. The experiment described in this report wassupported in part by a grant from theFoundations Fund for Research in Psychiatry,Inc.

25 October 1962

Antarctica: The Microbiology of

an Unfrozen Saline Pond

Abstract. A saline pond in a region inAntarctia where other lakes and ponds arefrozen remains unfrozen at the prevailinglow temperatures. The ecology of thepond is unique. A distinctive aerobicmicrobial population, though restricted tothis natural habitat, adapts to growth inartificial culture. The growth habit of theseorganisms, as seen in nature and inlaboratory culture, indicates a possiblerelationship between growth at high saltconcentration, at low temperatures, and inmedia of low organic content.

On 11 October 1961 a field recon-naissance by Navy helicopter in thesouth fork of the Wright Valley

(longitude 1610 10'E, latitude 77034'S),Victoria Land, Antarctica, revealed anunfrozen pond, although the ambienttemperature was -240C. Wright Valleyis one of several ice-free valleys in theregion from which the continental ice-cap has receded (1). During the fol-lowing 3 months several trips weremade to the pond.

This pond, which we named DonJuan Pond, is approximately 200 mwide and 700 m long; the average depthis 11 cm (2). Small salt deposits occuron the periphery of the pond. The valleysurrounding the pond is carved out of

metasediments intruded by granites anddolerites. Overlying this valley andforming the higher ridges and peaks inthe area is Beacon sandstone, also in-truded by dolerites. The pond wasformed by moraines blocking both endsof the valley and, at its inception, wasprobably 10 or more meters deep.Beach lines, now poorly defined, arepresent 10 m above the water level onthe north side of the valley.

The influx of water into this basin is

7 DECEMBER 1962

limited. During the summer two small

streams drain the moraine to the west.

The only other source of moisture is

snow falling directly into the small

catchment area immediately surround-

ing the pond. The snowfall averages

only a few inches per year. The water

is beige-to-brown in color (3); this is

attributable in part to pyritic particles

in suspension. The pH was 5.4 and

probably remains stable, since there is

little or no decay of organic matter. The

water temperature followed the tem-

perature of the ambient air; from Oc-

tober to December it ranged from -24O

to -3.00C, with no variation from sur-

face to bottom. At no time during the

period of study was the water frozen.

The freezing point of freshly collected

samples was -48? -+- 1 C.

The water of Don Juan Pond was

compared to the water of Barghoorn

and Nichols Pond (4) and also to sea-water (5) (Table 1). The specific grav-

ity of Don Juan pond water was 1.2514,

and the specific conductance was

790,000 [mho. The concentrations of

dissolved solids in Don Juan pondwater, in Barghoorn and Nichols pond

water, and in seawater were 474,000,

132,620 and 34,480 parts per million,

respectively. The salinity of Don JuanPond was approximately 13.7 times that

of seawater and 3.6 times that of

Barghoorn and Nicholas Pond. Two

deuterium determinations (6) of the

pond water gave concentrations of

123.8 ppm and 124.0 ppm. By con-trast, a deuterium determination onocean water in the vicinity of McMurdoSound gave a concentration of 160.0ppm. These data, together with the

fact that the pond is over 400 feet

above sea level and 35 miles from thepresent coast, suggest a nonmarine

origin for the water. The extraordinary-ily high salt content is probably dueto the weathering of the surroundingrocks, followed by increases in concen-

tration through evaporation.

Samples of water for microbiologicalstudies were collected in sterile flasks

and returned to the Biological Labora-tories at the Naval Air Facility, Mc-Murdo Sound, Ross Island. The waterwas kept for several days at -220Cbefore laboratory study was begun.

Examination of the water samples andsediments showed bacterial rods andcocci which grew in the form ofcolonies. Microscopic examination ofbottom sediments from the pond re-vealed a diatom frustule, but no grow-ing algae were present.

Table 1. Minerals in solution in antarctic waters.Composition (ppm)

Don BarghoornMin- Jun and Sea-eral Pond Pond water

Ca 114,000 1,130 400Mg 1,200 4,890 1,272Mn <0.05Na 11,500 33,200 10,556S04 11 16,150 2,649Cl 212,000 58,000 18,980C03 0 330HCO3 49 140

NO3 12.7

S 0 <0.1Fe 23.7K 160 380

Live microorganisms were determined

by pour plates of water samples in

nutrient agar, peptone glucose-acid agar,

and Proteose-peptone thioglycollate

agar. The latter medium was also usedto test for growth under anaerobic con-

ditions. In addition, 100 ml aliquots

were passed through Millipore filters to

concentrate the organisms, and these

concentrates were cultured on the sev-

eral media. All plates were incubated at

20'C for 3 weeks. Three types of bac-

teria (7), Bacillus megaterium, Micro-

coccus sp., and Corynebacterium sp.,appeared in all the media. A single yeastspecies (8), Sporobolomyces, which re-

sembles Sporidiobolus (9), developed

only on the sugar media. No anaerobesdeveloped in the anaerobic plates. The

fact that these isolates from an environ-ment of remarkably high salinity and

temperatures below 0?C will grow atroom temperatures on artificial sub-strates is indicative of a high degree of

adaptability. A pure culture of each

bacterial isolate grew in visible clumpsat temperatures ranging from 0? to25?C when inoculated into Don Juan

pond water that had been sterilized by

filtration. The organisms grew more

rapidly at the lower temperatures when

saline pond water was used in com-

pounding the peptone media than when

Table 2. Temperature and chemical measure-ments of inland water in Antarctica.

Lake Temp. pH Coniu- Chloride(OC) mhtoy)* mg/liter)*

Bonney(edge) 3.6 7.35 105-210 30

Vanda(edge) 2.8 7.2 112 30

Vanda(60 m) 16.0* 6.4 250,000 80,800

* Data of Armitage and House (10).

1103