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T^kemfiiker s XtfeSB^eseml)

“W’OU ARE QIVEN two untabeled bottles:¹ Eäch X cousins an identically shaped white tabpfi One bottle holds a barbiturate “sleeping pill.” The other ‘contains, a itranquiUier “relaxing pill.” ~How|{|o you discover which is which without lengthy chemical • ^nalySiliS»

SolutiouLF^ed .the tablets to ^spiders gnd watch the , animals spin their ^efis!

“Fingerprinting” drugs with spider webs is the spe_T cialty^of Dr. Petit N. Witt of the Upstate MeddeäL Center in Syracuse, New York. How did Dr. WitUdi§-_r ‘-covter and develop. this uniisnal technique^■ bvAVhile at the University of Tübingen, <^imahy,^^|iP 20 years ago. Dr. Witt ^a§Jstudymg –the effects ; of hen: tam drugs on human, beings. His patients Rad reported that the drugs; had caused fantastic factions. ‘

Certain of the drugs had triggered hallucinations^, • others, fits of laughfer; still others, mööds of depression!-“ How -did, these drugs Work? . Dr. Witt did ötit/läiöw..

Unwilling Performer

His human subject!’.had,, told him how they; felt when given tfiesjf drugs. But me behavior and human beings are ^n^tipncedj by many things ^ such £%s mood.— unrelated ‘.to drugs. Höw- epuld thersbdcificÄ /Jeffects of the dftigsibetilpläit^ from ^Jthe|e”Gomph’cating” p;–1

Them s^mb:^rpff’gl|=|_i‘ Witts zoology department .came to him with their own. prob-||||BArmed. • with as^’^^^eambra ..and bright ;li^fgh^ytsb äihey had spent’might after night in. the him^Vyl^Döra-| tory, trying tio^ake motion pip|u.j^sMf a¹ spfder spih-ningAits^^^^alfe ‘wbb^Mi ^%?spide^:wa^^^y!^py Ifeshight in tfiCda^:; jjgwould hotjii)Hi^v

TheAvea’ry‘jsbientists knew tfiat cb^ain ’drii^^sljimu^ | huma^’rulings-.; Would^:

^.coin’b tifi| spid^Sx    fähc^t^^^Eprm-

. Dr. Wi|ti knew pothing    s-

happy to supplyeihis mllehgugs^v ith s ampins fif drugs*

^dfghölögists. The drugs failed To malcö.-‘the spider spin in the light. What’s more, when the ^scientists’switched off the light to see what would happen, the spider built -I* web that was strangely shaped.,. y⁵

As so often happens in research, this unexpected*;!-e-‘ suit provided Dr. Witt with aj? fresh approach to his own problem. The spider, whose fiehavior i’s less com-

; pmäföd’ than man’s, had iflaeted to the drug by, spin-nSig^an abnormal web. Cbiild^the spider’s¹ reactrdmI0, d^pyb’e used ip’a’ scibnt’ißKexpe|iment?y^

– Drr Witt set ppf |ep lOapm *all    –

piavior of sliders. He

ygarden- spicier,    h    fmcT;

observe; itmbnstruc‘|sf aj|s||Il v^bi^n    pa    ttern.    –

(The- silk is produced as-    in*    glapd’s*    within    the

spider s body. As it is drawn out, the liquid hardens into ’ thread.)

The spider first attaches die end of a thread to a support, .such as the frame .of.. a-\window. It then builds the circular framework of the Web. Next, die spokes are constructed. The angles between the spokes are almost -exactly ;equaL

^Pma-lly:, thd .spiral is    the .outside ’    in-

wafd: The thre^ds-jh thy^spiral ^%ei^n‘Ä^eatching are|^ar emjiyer ed with .a thin layejr of sticky fluid. -The-‘ whole fir keels’ takes f0:to^0^h’mimitb^ 9 The ^Jspj|’er’s’vision extrem’ely poor. It builds iff; webÄprec^.jneasur^nents thropg&ts^sense of touch. Its legs, -it wligrp-po u;eay|^h liiapi sll how long#]|||h stiancbsh^ülj^be.; V

Photo shows normal web of garÄspider. Architecture of web _{Web spun} by rdruggOd s^’er% abnormal. Spiral IsBregular is record of spider’s jf^havior during web-building period, -[^not complete. Clearly, drug affected spider’s behavior.

The spidery web-building follow’s a pattern that ‘never varies. 11 its web is destroyed during the day. tin* spider will build a completely new one the lollow-mg night: Xhe new web: will be an almost exact duplicate ill the old duo. –    ■    ‘    .    .

Suppose the spider wb^tgiven drugs. – Would ^|the, pattern change? Dr. Witt planned-to photograph the . web spufi by ah undnigged spidet and edmpare it with the photograph of a web spun by a.*drugged spider.^ Among the first’drugs Dr. Witt fed .his spiders, was qnl that acts as a- sthmfiatitin human beings”. He noted that the web spun by the drugged spider was normalj^H with two important exceptions. The spiral did not make smooth turns. Also, -many-spokes were bent or-short.

Next,. Dr. Witt gave a spide^h idmg that produces hiiuÄations in human beings. “‘This tune the spider -appeared to lose all sense’ of direction. The spiral ran in the wrong dhections.

Spider-Web “Fingerprints”

As Dr. Witt continued has* experiments, he found that iWefe .drug’ affectedfthe-‘‘^x’ticture of the spiders¹ web in, afferent way.^adh left its own “fingerprint:” Armed with this new te’chnique, Dr. Witt helpelfto rbsblve a greats contioversy nbput tranquilizers,’ which were then new drugsGSomb ^scientists suspected that these dmgs affected the nervous system .in the same uway as!barbiturates. Othears disagreed/

WKeti a ^person is given heavy dpses of a barbiturate; ’

₍fie fails to function, prpperly. He jsi unable to do simple tilings like tying shoelaces. He behaves in ä dazed y^nd confused way. ,Tn addition, he finds it.-impossible – to .tTa-nslate. cbmmands o% vtishes, into’action.’

l|eavy doses of some tranqiiffi^efsi on. the otiibKhand, -seem ‘to- make ⁷if^0£cult for df, person to make a. deci- ‘ siom “]But thei|peijS0p’ can. carry it out in an orderly and

One of the gi ^^prd^lem. in drtig.^ research’ is that •    affeqi    ^pifferemfc’meople    differently.^,,S@mb

typical ypa^ctitiHs. Others do not. Appare’nt-s^Xgd^-.Ißactioh ^cpeficf^partly^pn one s state of mihd. seders dp notvary in their-,drug reactions. Dr:

^”«tale “fingerprints,■Kn by^Al teggfepM Riders.

H^e action of narcotics and.^^^tlrugs _on yie nervous sy^^^huma|^wit^|

Witt and^:‘ Jiis;^ö^ägLffcs’ gave Ba. fpfepffit^–quilizers to different sjyff. ||1M^ the barbiturates began ® w’Sä\ egflfcjr f ebs. When they were finished, the catching areas were smaller than usual. Angles between the spokes w’ereiiuiaequah The positions of the hubs were abnormal. As in human be^– . ings, the barbiturates affected the spiders’¹ rn^M^ts. ;

What happened to the spiders gi|fn the tranquilizers? They appeared    —    and

did not weave as many webs ever afllBj of t™^e as tliey would normally. But once^ar.feeS, die work proceeded efficiently and normally..-Clearly, a tranquilizer’s effect was different from that of a barbiturate.

Web tests have since been used to uncover the prop-

t ‘Ör.|^fe sp^f-Mb&st has prö^eled iaig^aP# tire study of drugs. It is ‘permitting scientists to dppen their study of mental disease. |t§|ny res^pherspave uncovered evidence that abnormal molecules may be the¹ cause ’of such illness. Tf the \yeb *of a spic^^^^an display the “fingerprint” of tire rh^euBs of a drug, . ‘perhaps itpan fllfeal “dis«||ed’’ molecules.

Body^Mids taken frofri mental p&ien^ have driven s§P®$ to weave strange and unusual web^But much ■research must-be done before die guilty molecules can be isolated and identified.

other s’eiies of expferi!meia&,j nM’ bn,der yvay, Dr.

erlies of combinations of drugs. Such information can be of vital concern to rrfeoical researchers and physicians, For example, die alcohol®n a glass of wine is not likely tofjharm the Average man, nor wall die few milligrams of hj||giturate in a sleeping pill. Tlie com-

Oil the other fend, two ^ru,gs ..that are of no; help to a patient when given separately Dpay., work wonders when administered together.

Dr. AVil-t foiindahäi a l&njLral nervpus system stiimu-J&pt    ISP*    p.hjmfld’ing    when

given    ‘^^J^roses. However,

a “psj clii(Lgiergizer.”|^^^Mz^rifc.Ms.ec^ha.‘’anmial>^>to OconstrAt an-abne^al wety(A    alone,

Wf§t has “opeirated” on II® Central ner\f|(i|||syslem o ‘’spMers using;;dao:-pigh-^|ef^Söght_;ibearn of a lase as his scalpel. The laser beam can be carefully controllei so that it wall not damage any other part of the animal Dr. Witt- believes that by lisfrig this method, he in a ^^wotidns of the spider’s cenirs nervfojjs system. Heyhäs already discovered tl.at whc ce&mn parts y a spider’s “brain” are operated upon, th i«ii|mal wall build alternately abnormal and normal web. Perhaps some odier undamaged part of the “brain” ca Ibbs’t^Bte for the lost fun#j|§>a.

This    l^ffllfai    awetter    unde:

standing of Mlw beMjslfcxr iß iÄ*ctcd by nerve dumam And. ^WM^asL evop ||Bv suebdainage can be repairer

— Carl Prouja

Three photos above show how behavior of spider is affected by laser beam. Web at left was spun before laser surgery. Abnormal

wet> (center) was spun one day after “operation.” Web spun 2-1 weeks later (right) is almost normal, indicates recovery.