Explore the 1962 experiment where Warren Thomas injected Tusko the elephant with LSD at the Oklahoma City Zoo to study musth and scientific ethics.

These experiments aren't just about weird science—they’re about the bizarre, sometimes dark things that happen when human curiosity loses its brakes.
Alex boese psychedelic apes, electrified sheep, elephants on acid. Talk about every story in the book, don't do any introduction. Start from each story immediately, summary of each story and then talk more in details


In August 1962, Warren Thomas and researchers from the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine conducted an experiment at the Oklahoma City Zoo. They injected a fourteen-year-old male elephant named Tusko with 297 milligrams of LSD. The primary goal was to determine if the drug could trigger 'musth,' a natural period of extreme aggression and glandular activity in male elephants. The researchers even suggested the drug might eventually serve as a tool for culling problem herds.
Tusko was injected with approximately 297 milligrams of LSD, which is roughly 3,000 times the dosage a human would typically take. Warren Thomas and his colleagues decided against starting with a smaller dose, believing that a significant amount was necessary for an animal of that size. This massive dose led to immediate and catastrophic physical distress for the elephant, highlighting a complete lack of scientific caution during the procedure.
The experiment resulted in a disaster rather than a scientific breakthrough. Within five minutes of receiving the injection in his rump, Tusko keeled over and began having seizures. After spending an hour trumpeting in distress within his pen, the elephant died. This tragic outcome is often cited as a moment where the boundary between a bold scientific experiment and total lunacy completely evaporated, raising serious questions about the ethics of the researchers involved.
Creado por exalumnos de la Universidad de Columbia en San Francisco
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Creado por exalumnos de la Universidad de Columbia en San Francisco
