Stream of Facts
Forty six years ago, a group of researchers decided
to administer LSD to an elephant. The
dose was 297 milligrams, about 3000 times the
level of a typical human dose. To this day, it
remains the largest dose of LSD ever given to
a living creature. After firing the cartridge-syringe,
Tusko the elephant shifted around in his
pen for a few minutes and eventually keeled
over on his side. The researchers concluded: “It
appears that the elephant is highly sensitive to
the effects of LSD.”
The film The Elephant Man portrays the life of
Joseph Merrick, a man with a frightful condition
that winds up socially exiling him, even landing
him a spot in various freakshows. The main
condition behind the disfigurement is known as
Proteus Syndrome, a congenital disorder which
causes an overgrowth of skin, bones, muscles,
fatty tissues, and blood and lymphatic vessels.
In Merrick’s case, it caused him to look less like
a human and more like an elephant.
Freakshows were outlawed in Britain during
the 19th century, yet continued until the 1960s.
Two years ago, a London exhibition known as
‘Pleasurelands’ paid homage to the history of
freakshows and included displays of midgets,
the deformed, and the morbidly obese. The exhibit
was protested, mainly by disabled groups,
and deemed “the pornography of disability.”
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Reporter Recommends
Sitting in the grass. Embrace your inner
hippie and enjoy the wonderful weather
for once. Make the study time in between
classes relaxing and avoid the indoors like
a bad case of the bubonic plague. Fear not,
laptop junkies, there are power cords near
just about every pole, tree, and brick on this
campus. While you’re at it, pick up a cheap
bike and make time for an interesting adventure.
It’s a little known fact that there are
great trails in the area.
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