168 Rats on a Roundabout 



rats for a long time in circular cages revolving at 

 speeds of 60-120 revolutions per minute, some in a 

 clockwise and some in a counter-clockwise direction. 

 The animals tried at first to adjust themselves, as we 

 do on a so-called "merry-go-round" or to the rolling 

 of the ship at the beginning of a voyage. Eventually, 

 however, thev became accustomed to their turn-table 

 world, and would eat, and sleep, and play, just as we 

 do on the rotating and revolving earth. Some of them 

 endured from six million to eighty million rotations, 

 which, put into terms of time, means from two to 

 eighteen months. They suffered from it, however, for 

 when they were liberated they exhibited long-con- 

 tinued readjustments to a more prosaic environment, 

 just as we do when we leave the rolling ship or the 

 garish roundabout. Some of them showed serious 

 locomotor disorders, and fell into a decline and died. 

 Others pulled themselves together, and appeared 

 normal, yet after some months showed disturbed loco- 

 motion and eve-movements, which differed, it is inter- 

 esting to note, according to the direction of rotation, 

 whether clockwise or counter-clockwise. Some of these 

 disturbed individuals were allowed to mate with one 

 another or with normal stock, and the results were 

 rather startling. 



Dr. Griffith found that rats with a long history of 

 roundabout rotation in their lineage showed among 

 their descendants a high proportion of "disequi- 

 librated" individuals, although these were brought 

 up in a normal way. Moreover, the type of disequi- 

 libration exhibited by these descendants corre- 



