THIS MONTH IN AEROSPACE MEDICINE HISTORY
Seventy-Five Years Ago in December 1939
“A higher speed of progression can be obtained by recurring to another mechanism, namely jumping, which involves a higher vertiPsychology and determination of flight aptitude (Director, Department of cal component of the push exerted by the limb and obviously a dePsychology School of Aviation Medicine Randolph Field, TX): “In one’s efcrease of the frequency of the steps, because of the increased parabola fort to understand phenomena, it seems to be human nature to take [sic] time. Through jumping, similar or higher speed of locomotion as exception to views and explanations which are opposed to one's own on earth can possibly be obtained on the moon, depending on the or those of his group. Too often bias, or insufficient and inaccurate instructure of the soil. formation, makes us prejudiced against some other viewpoint. On the “The possible utilization of the elastic energy of the contracted other hand, only two [sic] often we disagree, argue and split in conmuscle is discussed: this, running on earth, is responsible for the 40 flict, when actually we believe as one, and are striving for the same per cent of the work performed” (4). goal. But because we toil under one banner we can see no other. “Any relation whatsoever between psychology and aviation will Twenty-Five Years Ago in December 1989 be denied by many. They will claim that psychology has no part in the The human-machine interface and marijuana (Decision Systems, selection of the aviator, in the act of flying, or in the care and mainteStanford, CA; Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto Veterans nance of the pilot. This view is probably held because they have not Administration Medical Center; Stanford University School of Medicine, investigated and do not understand just what phases are considered Stanford, CA): “This study provides evidence that diverse factors can as psychological, or the important part that they play. Perhaps a brief cumulatively contribute to human/machine performance decrements. presentation of the psychological aspects will be of help toward a betIn separate sessions, young and old pilots smoked one of three cigater general understanding… rettes containing either 0 mg, 10 mg, or 20 mg of the active ingredient, “Just how much intelligence is necessary to be successful as a flyer delta 9 THC. They flew a calm and a turbulent flight in a light aircraft is hard to say… Seven to ten of every hundred can be classed as backsimulator at 1, 4, 8, 24, and 48 hour (h) delay after smoking . Effects ward, borderline, feebleminded, moron, or lower in the scale of intel1 and 4 h after smoking in the turbulent flight condiligence. Whether any of these should be permitted to receiveby flying Delivered Ingentawere to: found GuestatUser when2016 20 mg cigarettes were smoked. Drug dose level, age, instruction is doubtful, for failure or tragedy almost certain… On: Sun,tions IP: is185.46.87.207 26 Jun 05:09:29 weather conditions (i.e., task difficulty), and delay period all affected “To become a flyer, one must learn a great many things. Normal Copyright: Aerospace Medical Association pilot performance. Most important, these variables produced cumularapidity of learning and habit formation are essential if progress is to tive performance decrements” (3). be satisfactory. As in all other things, individuals vary in their capacity Emergency kits on commercial aircraft (Civil Aeromedical Institute, Fedto learn… eral Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, OK): “Expanded civil air“As aviation has advanced from year to year with increasing percraft medical emergency kits have been mandated on U.S. carriers formance and efficiency of the aircraft, additional complexities in opsince August 1986. Airlines provided the Federal Aviation Agency reeration have arisen. Modern airplanes are built for high performance ports on medical kit usage and outcomes of the associated medical and are equipped with more than one engine, variable pitch or conemergencies; 1,016 inflight medical events during the period August 1, stant speed propellers, retractable landing gears, deicers, radio and 1986, through July 31, 1987, were available for review. Physicians renumerous instruments pertaining to engine and flight performance. sponded to the emergencies in over 63% of the occurrences; the two All of these things must be attended to by the pilot, and probably in no most prevalent presenting situations were chest pain and syncopal occupation is it more important to have just the precise development episodes. Nine passengers died on board aircraft, and at least three of attention for that particular job than in piloting an airplane… deaths occurred postlanding. A minimum of 89 of the total cases re“Perhaps there is no vocation in which the emotional factor plays a sulted in flight diversions. The sphygmomanometer (739 cases) and more important part than aviation. For when man is flying he is comstethoscope (734 cases) were the most frequently used kit items; oropletely out of his element, surrounded by countless dangerous situapharyngeal airways were utilized in 14 cases. Since standardized retions, his life and that of the passengers depending upon an emotional porting formats are not required, evaluation of response capability stability which will enable him to react at times with lightning-like remains incomplete” (2). rapidity… “No doubt many hundreds of thousands of ordinary adults are well equipped as potentially successful flyers. But the point should be remembered that there are others, too, not in insignificant numbers, REFERENCES who definitely should not fly. It is the task of all of us to see that these 1. Carlson WA. Psychology and aviation. J Aviat Med 1939; 10:216– be protected, both for their own and others' sakes, from the hazards of 22. flying” (1). 2. Hordinsky JR, George MH. Response capability during civil air carrier inflight medical emergencies. Aviat Space Environ Med 1989; 60:1211–4 Fifty Years Ago in December 1964 3. Leirer VO, Yesavage JA, Morrow DG. Marijuana, aging, and task How will we walk on the Moon? (Istituto di Fisiologia Umana, Università difficulty effects on pilot performance. Aviat Space Environ di Milano, Milano, Italy): “Walking in subgravity, the lift of the body in Med 1989; 60:1145–52. the first phase of the step requires less energy: correspondingly less 4. Margaria R, Cavagna GA. Human locomotion in subgravity. potential energy is available to sustain the forward acceleration of the Aerosp Med 1964; 35:1140–6. body in the second phase of the step, and the critical speed at which walking is shifted to running will be correspondingly lower than on the earth. In gravity conditions such as the moon (0.16 g) walking This column is prepared each month by Walter Dalitsch III, M.D., should be practically impossible. M.P.H. Most of the articles mentioned here were printed over the years “Also maximal speed of running is lower on the moon because, for in the official journal of the Aerospace Medical Association. These and the lower weight of the subject, the vertical component of the force other articles are available for download from Mira LibrarySmart via may be too low to maintain the adherence of the foot on the ground https://submissions.miracd.com/asmaarchive/Login.aspx. and prevent skidding; this depends on the conditions of the soil: if this Reprint & Copyright © by the Aerospace Medical Association, is hard, a maximal speed of running of about 13 km/hr can be Alexandria, VA. achieved, if it is covered by a deep layer of dust, the maximal speed DOI: 10.3357/ASEM.4180.2014 will be about 5 km/hr.
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Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine x Vol. 85, No. 12 x December 2014
Seventy-Five Years Ago in December 1939
“A higher speed of progression can be obtained by recurring to another mechanism, namely jumping, which involves a higher vertiPsychology and determination of flight aptitude (Director, Department of cal component of the push exerted by the limb and obviously a dePsychology School of Aviation Medicine Randolph Field, TX): “In one’s efcrease of the frequency of the steps, because of the increased parabola fort to understand phenomena, it seems to be human nature to take [sic] time. Through jumping, similar or higher speed of locomotion as exception to views and explanations which are opposed to one's own on earth can possibly be obtained on the moon, depending on the or those of his group. Too often bias, or insufficient and inaccurate instructure of the soil. formation, makes us prejudiced against some other viewpoint. On the “The possible utilization of the elastic energy of the contracted other hand, only two [sic] often we disagree, argue and split in conmuscle is discussed: this, running on earth, is responsible for the 40 flict, when actually we believe as one, and are striving for the same per cent of the work performed” (4). goal. But because we toil under one banner we can see no other. “Any relation whatsoever between psychology and aviation will Twenty-Five Years Ago in December 1989 be denied by many. They will claim that psychology has no part in the The human-machine interface and marijuana (Decision Systems, selection of the aviator, in the act of flying, or in the care and mainteStanford, CA; Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto Veterans nance of the pilot. This view is probably held because they have not Administration Medical Center; Stanford University School of Medicine, investigated and do not understand just what phases are considered Stanford, CA): “This study provides evidence that diverse factors can as psychological, or the important part that they play. Perhaps a brief cumulatively contribute to human/machine performance decrements. presentation of the psychological aspects will be of help toward a betIn separate sessions, young and old pilots smoked one of three cigater general understanding… rettes containing either 0 mg, 10 mg, or 20 mg of the active ingredient, “Just how much intelligence is necessary to be successful as a flyer delta 9 THC. They flew a calm and a turbulent flight in a light aircraft is hard to say… Seven to ten of every hundred can be classed as backsimulator at 1, 4, 8, 24, and 48 hour (h) delay after smoking . Effects ward, borderline, feebleminded, moron, or lower in the scale of intel1 and 4 h after smoking in the turbulent flight condiligence. Whether any of these should be permitted to receiveby flying Delivered Ingentawere to: found GuestatUser when2016 20 mg cigarettes were smoked. Drug dose level, age, instruction is doubtful, for failure or tragedy almost certain… On: Sun,tions IP: is185.46.87.207 26 Jun 05:09:29 weather conditions (i.e., task difficulty), and delay period all affected “To become a flyer, one must learn a great many things. Normal Copyright: Aerospace Medical Association pilot performance. Most important, these variables produced cumularapidity of learning and habit formation are essential if progress is to tive performance decrements” (3). be satisfactory. As in all other things, individuals vary in their capacity Emergency kits on commercial aircraft (Civil Aeromedical Institute, Fedto learn… eral Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, OK): “Expanded civil air“As aviation has advanced from year to year with increasing percraft medical emergency kits have been mandated on U.S. carriers formance and efficiency of the aircraft, additional complexities in opsince August 1986. Airlines provided the Federal Aviation Agency reeration have arisen. Modern airplanes are built for high performance ports on medical kit usage and outcomes of the associated medical and are equipped with more than one engine, variable pitch or conemergencies; 1,016 inflight medical events during the period August 1, stant speed propellers, retractable landing gears, deicers, radio and 1986, through July 31, 1987, were available for review. Physicians renumerous instruments pertaining to engine and flight performance. sponded to the emergencies in over 63% of the occurrences; the two All of these things must be attended to by the pilot, and probably in no most prevalent presenting situations were chest pain and syncopal occupation is it more important to have just the precise development episodes. Nine passengers died on board aircraft, and at least three of attention for that particular job than in piloting an airplane… deaths occurred postlanding. A minimum of 89 of the total cases re“Perhaps there is no vocation in which the emotional factor plays a sulted in flight diversions. The sphygmomanometer (739 cases) and more important part than aviation. For when man is flying he is comstethoscope (734 cases) were the most frequently used kit items; oropletely out of his element, surrounded by countless dangerous situapharyngeal airways were utilized in 14 cases. Since standardized retions, his life and that of the passengers depending upon an emotional porting formats are not required, evaluation of response capability stability which will enable him to react at times with lightning-like remains incomplete” (2). rapidity… “No doubt many hundreds of thousands of ordinary adults are well equipped as potentially successful flyers. But the point should be remembered that there are others, too, not in insignificant numbers, REFERENCES who definitely should not fly. It is the task of all of us to see that these 1. Carlson WA. Psychology and aviation. J Aviat Med 1939; 10:216– be protected, both for their own and others' sakes, from the hazards of 22. flying” (1). 2. Hordinsky JR, George MH. Response capability during civil air carrier inflight medical emergencies. Aviat Space Environ Med 1989; 60:1211–4 Fifty Years Ago in December 1964 3. Leirer VO, Yesavage JA, Morrow DG. Marijuana, aging, and task How will we walk on the Moon? (Istituto di Fisiologia Umana, Università difficulty effects on pilot performance. Aviat Space Environ di Milano, Milano, Italy): “Walking in subgravity, the lift of the body in Med 1989; 60:1145–52. the first phase of the step requires less energy: correspondingly less 4. Margaria R, Cavagna GA. Human locomotion in subgravity. potential energy is available to sustain the forward acceleration of the Aerosp Med 1964; 35:1140–6. body in the second phase of the step, and the critical speed at which walking is shifted to running will be correspondingly lower than on the earth. In gravity conditions such as the moon (0.16 g) walking This column is prepared each month by Walter Dalitsch III, M.D., should be practically impossible. M.P.H. Most of the articles mentioned here were printed over the years “Also maximal speed of running is lower on the moon because, for in the official journal of the Aerospace Medical Association. These and the lower weight of the subject, the vertical component of the force other articles are available for download from Mira LibrarySmart via may be too low to maintain the adherence of the foot on the ground https://submissions.miracd.com/asmaarchive/Login.aspx. and prevent skidding; this depends on the conditions of the soil: if this Reprint & Copyright © by the Aerospace Medical Association, is hard, a maximal speed of running of about 13 km/hr can be Alexandria, VA. achieved, if it is covered by a deep layer of dust, the maximal speed DOI: 10.3357/ASEM.4180.2014 will be about 5 km/hr.
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Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine x Vol. 85, No. 12 x December 2014
