From: [a--e--r] at [kauri.vuw.ac.nz] (I. Aptekar)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: LSD and Spiders
Date: 10 Aug 1993 08:16:46 GMT


I recently came across the following on p576 of 'Pharmacology' by H.P. Rang and 
M.M. Dale (1987):"One of the most bizarre tests involves disorganisation of web-spinning patterns in spiders, whose normal elegantly symmetrical webs become jumbled and erratic if the animals are treated with LSD."

One of these webs is shown in Peter Staffords' 'Psychedelics Encyclopedia' (p139).It looks far from disorganised; "The web is more regular or 'perfect' under LSD and more abstarct and irregular under mescaline."

Why the discrepancy? Are Rang and Dale lying or mistaken? Neither book has references to these experiments (that I can find). Do newer versions of the text correct this?

BTW, anyone interested should check out the spider's web after it was given caffeine. I haven't been able to drink a cup of coffee since seeing that picture.

Bye.

Igor.