Polar Human Biology. The Proceedings of the SCAR/IUPS/IUBS Symposium on Human Biology and Medicine in the Antarctic

448 Pages·1973·17.15 MB·English

by  O. G. Edholm and E. K. E. Gunderson (Eds.)

Polar Human Biology
The Proceedings of the SCAR/IUPS/IUBS Symposium
on Human Biology and Medicine in the Antarctic
edited by
O. G. Edholm & E. K. E. Gunderson
WILLIAM HEINEMANN MEDICAL BOOKS LTD.
First published 1973
© William Heinemann Medical Books Ltd., 1973
ISBN 0 433 08155 4
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
R.J. Acford Ltd.
Industrial Estate, Chichester, Sussex
List of contributors
T. R. Allen*
17 Green Sward, Stockton Lane, York Y03 OJE
K. Asahina
Department of Physiology, Toho University School of Medicine,
Nishi 5-21, Omori, Ota-ku, Tokyo, Japan
H. Bellamy
Chronobiology Laboratories, University of Minnesota, USA
A. D. Beynon*t
Division of Human Physiology, National Institute for Medical
Research, (Hampstead Laboratories), London NW3 6RB
A. B. Blackburn
Veterans Administration Hospital, 2002 Holcombe Blvd., Houston,
Texas 77031, USA
A. S. Bodey
Assistant Pathologist, Mercy Maternity Hospital, Clarendon Street,
East Melbourne, Australia 3002
J. Bohlen
Chronobiology Laboratories, University of Minnesota, USA
R. E. Brooks
Veterans Administration Hospital, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma 73104, USA
J. Brotherhood*
Laboratory for Field Physiology, National Institute for Medical
Research, {Hampstead Laboratories), London NW3 6RB
G. M. Budd
School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Zone A27,
University of Sydney, NSW, Australia 2006
* Denotes former medical officer or member of the British Antarctic Survey.
t Present address : Department of Oral Anatomy, The Dental School, University of
Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne NEI 8TA.
ix
X LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
G. Cazes
DRME, 5 bis, av. de la Porte de Sèvres, Paris 15ème.
L. Crocq
DRME, 5 bis, av. de la Porte de Sèvres, Paris, 15ème.
A. G. Davies*
Department of Physiology, The Medical School, University of
Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TJ
P. Doury
Hôpital d? Instruction des Armées du Val de Grâce, 277 bis, rue
Saint-Jacques, 75230—Paris Cedex 05
O. G. Edholm
Division of Human Physiology, National Institute for Medical
Research, {Hampstead Laboratories), London NW3 6RB
R. Eide
Institute of Psychology, University of Bergen, N-5001 Bergen,
Norway
A. J. Fry*
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Worthing Hospital, Lynd-
hurst Road, Worthing, Sussex BN11 2DH
G. Godin
School of Hygiene, 150 College Street, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, Canada
E. K. E. Gunderson
Navy Medical Neuropsychiatrie Research Unit, San Diego,
California 92152, USA
F. Halberg
Chronobiology Laboratories, University of Minnesota, USA
M. J. Holmes*
Clinical Research Centre, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex
HAI 3UJ
A. T. Joern
Veterans Administration Hospital, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma 73104, USA
W. J. Klein (Lieutenant Commander, USN)
Fellow in Operational and Research Psychiatry, Naval Hospital,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19145, USA
* Denotes former medical officer or member of the British Antarctic Survey.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS XI
J. LeBlanc
Laboratoire d'Endocrinologie Climatique, Faculté de Médecine,
Université Laval, Québec, Canada
I. Leith*
Broomfield Hospital, Court Road, Chelmsford, Essex
R. M. Lloyd*
" ShackletorC\ Well Lane, Mollington, Nr. Chester
Mary C. Lobban
Division of Human Physiology, National Institute for Medical
Research, (Hampstead Laboratories), London NW3 6RB
D. J. Lugg
Senior Medical Officer, Antarctic Division, Department of Science,
568 St. Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia 3004
H. G. Muchmore
Veterans Administration Hospital, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma 73104, USA
K. Natani
Veterans Administration Hospital, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma 73104, USA
Y. Ohkubo
Blood Transfusion Service, Tokyo Medical and Dental University
Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
S. Pattin
Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées du Val de Grâce, 277 bis, rue
Saint-Jacques, 75230—Paris Cedex 05
C. M. Pierce
Veterans Administration Hospital, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma 73104, USA
J. Rivolier
195, rue de V Université, Paris 7ème
A. Rode
School of Hygiene, 150 College Street, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, Canada
A. F. Rogers
Department of Physiology, University of Bristol, The Medical
School, University Walk, Bristol BS8 1TD
Nan E. Scott
Veterans Administration Hospital, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma 73103, USA
* Denotes former medical officer or member of the British Antarctic Survey.
Xll LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
R. J. Shephard
School of Hygiene, 150 College Street, University of Toronto,
Toronto, Ontario M5S lAl, Canada
J. T. Shurley
Veterans Administration Hospital, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma 73104, USA
H. W. Simpson*t
Chronobiology Laboratories, University of Minnesota, USA
R. E. Strange (Captain, USN)t
Chief, Neuropsychiatry Service, Naval Hospital, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania 19145, and Consultant, US Naval Support Force,
Antarctica
B. A. Tatem
Chronobiology Laboratories, University of Minnesota, USA
A. J. W. Taylor
Psychology Department, Victoria University of Wellington,
P.O. Box 196, Wellington, New Zealand
I. I. Tikhomirov
Soviet Committee on Antarctic Research, Academy of Sciences of
the USSR, Ul. Vavilova 44, Building 2, Moscow B-333,
USSR
D. A. J. Tyrrell
Clinical Research Centre, Watford Road, Harrow, Middlesex
HAI 3UJ
D. C. Wilkins*
Department of Surgery, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge
O. Wilson
Institute of Aviation Medicine, Flight Test Centre, Fack, S-580
13 Linköping, Sweden
R. A. Worley
Veterans Administration Hospital, 921 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma 73104, USA
H. Yoshimura
Department of Physiology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya,
Hyogo, Japan
* Denotes former medical officer or member of the British Antarctic Survey.
t Present address : Department of Pathology, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, C4.
t Present address : Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Code 313, Department of the
Navy, Washington, DC 20372, USA.
O. G. Edholm
Introduction
This volume contains the majority of the papers delivered at the
Symposium on Human Biology and Medicine in the Antarctic
which was held at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge,
England on September 19th-21st, 1972. The Symposium was
organised under the auspices of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic
Research (SCAR), the International Union of Physiological Sciences
(IUPS) and the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS).
The Subcommittee on Human Biology and Medicine in the Antarctic
established by the SCAR Working Group on Biology was respon­
sible for the initiation and organisation of the Symposium; detailed
planning was carried out by O. G. Edholm, E. K. E. Gunderson
and R. Goldsmith.
The Symposium was the first of its kind to be held, although at
a meeting held in Paris in 1962 organised by the SCAR Working
Group on Biology a number of papers dealing with human aspects
had been included. It proved to be fortunate that at the Cambridge
meeting there were contributions dealing with studies in the Arctic,
hence the title of the present volume, indicating that the contents
do not deal exclusively with Antarctic problems. At an informal
discussion on Arctic/Antarctic co-operation, organised by R.
Goldsmith, many speakers stressed the importance of linking work
in the polar regions where there were common problems and common
environmental conditions, but also some striking contrasts.
The contents of this volume demonstrate the multidisciplinary
aspects of the work carried out in both polar regions. A number
who attended the meeting commented on the stimulus they had
from the presentation and discussion of papers dealing with clinical,
virological, physiological and psychological studies. Although
there are evident beginnings of multidisciplinary work, it became
clear as the meeting progressed that studies, particularly in the
1
2 POLAR HUMAN BIOLOGY
Antarctic, not only needed to be developed on multidisciplinary lines
but also that the Antarctic was peculiarly well-placed for such
development. It became obvious that the interpretation of physiologi­
cal studies of the effects of cold on man would be greatly helped by
a knowledge of the psychological effects of the polar situation,
and conversely. Although it has now become fashionable to talk
of the multidisciplinary approach and the need to study the totality
of the situation, the practical difficulties are still so great that pro­
gress has been relatively slow. One of the most potent agencies in
promoting such work has been the International Biological Pro­
gramme (IBP). The Human Adaptability section, under the vigor­
ous leadership of Professor J. S. Weiner, has sponsored hundreds
of studies in nearly all regions of the world, and a significant pro­
portion of these has involved a number of disciplines. Geneticists,
physiologists, clinicians, nutritionists and anthropologists have
become accustomed to working together, at least to the extent that
they study the same subjects and results are available to all the
members of the team. The first attempt to co-ordinate Antarctic
studies of human biology arose from the establishment of the IBP
and to the decision to include Antarctica. The first Subcommittee
of the SCAR Working Group on Biology brought together an inter­
national group of physiologists who recommended a variety of
standardised techniques and measurements to be made on Antarctic
personnel. The remoteness of Antarctica, the long time lags between
planning, execution, analysis and publication of research made it
difficult to achieve effective work co-ordinating research in
different national bases. Nevetheless, the members of the Sub­
committee were able to inform each other and to learn something
of the various national research characteristics. The full impact
of the very considerable research effort was not appreciated until
the Cambridge Symposium. Certainly, the majority, perhaps all,
of those who attended were surprised to learn of the extent and
breadth of research which has been rapidly developing over the
last few years. It will be obvious that the published papers, substantial
as they are, do not completely cover the work that has been
accomplished.
The Symposium was opened by Dr. Terence Armstrong, deputis­
ing for Dr. Gordon Robin, Director of the Scott Polar Research
Institute and President of SCAR. The first speakers were Sir
Vivian Fuchs and Mr. A. Stephenson who vividly described the
INTRODUCTION 3
problems encountered by Antarctic expeditions in the 1930s and
today. They were followed by Professor Asahina's account of the
Japanese expedition to the Antarctic in 1911-12, at the same time
as Amundsen's and Scott's expeditions. The report by Professor
Asahina is the first paper in this volume and illustrates the tremendous
changes in the way in which Antarctic expeditions operated then
and now, changes implied in Professor Yoshimura's review of the
studies carried out in the last 15 years at the Japanese base, Syowa.
The next section consists of reviews of work at Australian, Japanese,
French and Russian bases. No attempt has been made to impose
uniformity of presentation either on the authors of review articles
or of the subsequent papers; a number of different terms are used
to describe similar situations or objects. The custom of the British
Antarctic Survey is to describe their permanent or semi-permanent
establishments as a 'base', but the majority of other countries use
the term 'station' and some use both. The words used to describe
people spending a year or, specifically, the winter in Antarctica
include cwintering-over', 'winterers' and in contrast, rather pejor­
atively, 'summer visitors'. Other phrases have been used but 'winter­
ing-over' has been widely accepted.
It may be asked why there is no review of either USA or UK
work. Since the Symposium was held in the UK, it was relatively
easy for those who had worked as medical officers of the British
Antarctic Survey to present papers. In spite of distance, there
was also excellent representation from the USA, and the important
papers contributed to this volume describe their work.
Following the review papers, medical and dental aspects are
described, after which comes a small but important section on micro­
biology. This is a rapidly growing field and it is clear there are some
exceptional advantages in Antarctica. The physiological papers
include metabolism, nutrition, endocrinology and circadian rhy­
thms. Sleep can be considered a special example of such a rhythm
and the exciting contributions made by Dr. J. T. Shurley and his
colleagues are reported. Then comes the final section dealing with
psychological and behavioural aspects, begun by a review written by
my co-editor, Dr. E. K. E. Gunderson. He and his colleagues have
been responsible for the important programme implemented at
US bases in the Antarctic which has produced valuable practical
results on selection techniques as well as many contributions to
the study of the effects of isolation and the Antarctic environment.
4 POLAR HUMAN BIOLOGY
Other countries have also investigated psychological aspects, includ­
ing France, Australia and New Zealand. Cultural patterns influence
psychological responses of individuals to Antarctic conditions so
there is a remarkable, indeed unique, opportunity to be able to
compare the findings of psychologists working at different national
bases. Nowhere else in the world is it possible to examine different
national groups, isolated almost completely from each other but all
exposed to the harsh Antarctic environment and a state of isola­
tion. Within each national base the culture of the parent country
is dominant. Although there will be many difficult technical and
procedural problems to solve, there could be exciting findings from
the application of similar methods of assessing and measuring
psychological and behavioural characteristics in the different
national groups.
National characteristics may not be responsible for some of the
other differences evident in fields of work other than psychological.
Obviously there is much repetition; the same problems have been
studied in a number of different bases. There are also contrasts;
the effects of ionisation of the atmosphere are discussed both by
Dr. J. Rivolier (France) and by Dr. I. I. Tikhomirov (USSR), but
so far other countries have not included this topic in their research
programme.
It would be excessive to attempt to review each paper in this book,
but there are some general points and some special findings which
should be emphasised. Dr. Tikhomirov points out most clearly
that the Antarctic continent must not be thought of as uniform,
and he differentiates three zones: coastal, where the temperature
is greatly affected by the sea; the hinterland, with ground rising
more or less gradually up to the third zone of the high altitude plateau.
Here the effective altitude, as pointed out by Dr. Shurley, is consider­
ably higher than the geographical altitude above sea leavel, rising up
to approximately 3500 m at Vostok, the USSR station near to the
Pole of Inaccessibility. Tikhomirov emphasises, and the point
needs emphasis, that it is rash to compare results obtained at, say,
Vostok with other results obtained at a coastal station without
taking into account the altitude difference. Some of the changes
observed in men stationed at Vostok and reported by Tikhomirov
are certainly due to the effects of altitude. The combination of very
severe cold together with hypoxia provides an environmental stress
of considerable intensity and is one of which we have relatively little