Scientists want to know if astronauts can hibernate during long spaceflights. First, they need to understand what hibernation is
Read original article written by Ben Panko (Smithsonian Magazine, January 18, 2017) here.
Dear Editor,
In reference to the article by Ben Panko “Can humans ever harness power of hibernation?” (Jan 18th, 2017) I would like to draw your attention to a series of revolutionary works on hypothermia from the Belgrade School of Physiology in 1950s that is often neglected (probably due to its very early dates). These studies were initiated by the founder of the School prof. Jean Giaja (1884-1957), member of Serbian and French academies of sciences, who discovered the method of hypercapnic hypothermia (spontaneous cooling of a homeotherm to a body temperature as low as 15C in a closed vessel). This was published as early as 1940 (Bull Acad Serbe Sci Arts. 1940 6:65; C R Hebd Seances Acad Sci. 1940 210:80). These papers were written in Serbian and in French respectively. However, Giaja also published in English and we would like here to emphasize only one, the paper in Nature Giaja & Radulovic Survival of the heart following deep hypothermia. Nature. 1956 178:1286). This research raised a whole series of seminal studies by Giaia’s student Radoslav K. Andjus (1926-2003) who managed to further cool lab rats to body temperatures near ZERO and resuscitate them. Dr Andjus also became member of the International Astronautic Academy (Biology section) for obvious reasons. We present here a list of selected papers in respected journals of Dr Andjus’ studies, We hope the titles speak for themselves.
1: ANDJUS RK. [The resistance of apparently-dead rats to subzero body temperatures and to super-cooling; use of ultrasounds and different methods of diathermy in their reanimation]. J Physiol (Paris). 1958 50:111-2. French.
2: ANDJUS RK, KNOPFELMACHER F, RUSSELL RW, SMITH AU. Effects of hypothermia on behavior. Nature. 1955;176:1015-6.
3: ANDJUS RK, LOVELOCK JE. Reanimation of rats from body temperatures between 0 and 1 degree C by microwave diathermy. J Physiol. 1955 128:5h41-6.
4: ANDJUS RK, SMITH AU. Revival of hypothermic rats after arrest of circulation and respiration. J Physiol. 1954;123:66P-67P.
5: ANDJUS R. [The possibility of resuscitating an adult rat chilled almost to the point of freezing]. C R Hebd Seances Acad Sci. 1951 232:1591-3. French
6: ANDJUS RK. Suspended animation in cooled, supercooled and frozen rats. J Physiol. 1955;128:547-56.
7: ANDJUS RK, SMITH AU. Reanimation of adult rats from body temperatures between 0 and + 2 degrees C. J Physiol. 1955;128:446-72.
Sincerly yours,
Prof. Pavle R. Andjus