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Quiz about He Tested It On Himself
Quiz about He Tested It On Himself

He Tested It On Himself Trivia Quiz


Testing for potentially acute harmful effects on humans is forbidden in science, but some people feel that the science needs to be done anyway. These brave souls decided to use their own bodies for some horrific experiments.

A multiple-choice quiz by qrayx. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
qrayx
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
389,814
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
311
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: matthewpokemon (6/10), Guest 8 (4/10), Guest 4 (6/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. In 1984, Australian scientist Barry Marshall drank a solution containing the bacteria Helicobacter Pylori to verify that it produced which unpleasant side effect? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Americans were experimenting with new jet airplane designs. To figure out what large accelerations would do to a human, John Paul Stapp volunteered to be the human test subject on which crazy device? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. In 1903, Pierre Curie (Mr. Marie Curie) demonstrated the effects of radium to an audience at the Royal Institution in London by doing what? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. In 1943, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann accidentally went on his first "trip" when he discovered which substance? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, American medical student Stubbins Ffirth took the vomit (and other fluids) of sick patients, and ingested, inhaled, and injected it into his own body to prove which of the following diseases was not contagious? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. In 1933, Canadian professor Allan Walker Blair was working in Alabama. He explicitly let himself be bitten by which venomous animal to verify/validate that it was indeed dangerous to humans? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. In the late 1800s, Giovanni Battista Grassi of Sicily discovered eggs in a corpse he was autopsying. After spending a year verifying he was not already infected, Grassi ingested the eggs, which successfully hatched into what? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In the 1970s, Indian research student Shashikant Phadnis misheard the instruction to "test" a compound, and instead "tasted" it. To the delight of diet-soda makers, what new artificial flavour agent had just been discovered? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. British Scientist John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (JBS Haldane) was known for performing many experiments upon himself, and even wrote the essay "On Being One's Own Rabbit". What did Haldane do that led to him being permanently partially deaf? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which scientist, well-known for his contributions to math and science, in his earlier years decided to stick a needle in his eye to observe visual distortions? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 18 2024 : matthewpokemon: 6/10
Mar 14 2024 : Guest 8: 4/10
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 1984, Australian scientist Barry Marshall drank a solution containing the bacteria Helicobacter Pylori to verify that it produced which unpleasant side effect?

Answer: Stomach ulcers

Barry Marshall suspected that this bacteria was linked to stomach ulcers, but it would have been unethical to even ask to perform this test on another human. So Barry, being a man who did not suffer stomach ulcers, bypassed the ethics board by testing it on himself. He did indeed develop ulcers, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005.
2. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Americans were experimenting with new jet airplane designs. To figure out what large accelerations would do to a human, John Paul Stapp volunteered to be the human test subject on which crazy device?

Answer: A rocket sled

More accurately, the Americans wanted to know what the effects of sudden deceleration would be, such as when a pilot ejected from a fast moving plane. John Paul Stapp was strapped to a chair on a rocket sled. The sled was accelerated, and then run into water to quickly stop it. Stapp went multiple times, suffering greater injuries each time, including blackouts, concussions, broken bones, and nearly having his eyes fly out of his skull.
3. In 1903, Pierre Curie (Mr. Marie Curie) demonstrated the effects of radium to an audience at the Royal Institution in London by doing what?

Answer: Adhering radium to his arm

Pierre Curie taped Radium salts to his arm for a few hours, and then showed off the burns to an audience in the UK a few months later. He had hoped that radiation could be harnessed to combat cancer, which turned out to be true. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 with his wife.

During his experiments he was routinely exposed to radiation, which impacted his health. It did not kill him, though, as it did his wife in 1934. He died when he was accidentally run over by a horse-drawn cart in 1906.
4. In 1943, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann accidentally went on his first "trip" when he discovered which substance?

Answer: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD or Acid)

Hofmann accidentally got some LSD on his finger tips while working in his lab. By the time he got home, he was experiencing the first ever acid trip. Hofmann continued to try LSD in different doses, and advocated its safe use until his death in 2008, at the age of 102.

Despite so many discoveries being made by chemists who accidentally spilled new substances on their hands, it is now expected that they wear safety equipment to prevent this.
5. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, American medical student Stubbins Ffirth took the vomit (and other fluids) of sick patients, and ingested, inhaled, and injected it into his own body to prove which of the following diseases was not contagious?

Answer: Yellow Fever

In 1793, a Yellow Fever epidemic hit Pennsylvania. Ffirth joined the university later, and went to horrific ends to demonstrate that Yellow Fever was not contagious. He proved his hypothesis and published his findings in 1804.

It was not until a century later that he was proven wrong by James Carroll, in 1900. A lot of men had contracted the disease during the Spanish-American war, and the idea of mosquitoes as a vector was floated. In another example of self-experimentation, Carroll let himself be bitten by laboratory mosquitoes with the virus. He contracted Yellow Fever, but managed to recover. Ironically, he died 1907 when he contracted Yellow Fever from a wild mosquito.
6. In 1933, Canadian professor Allan Walker Blair was working in Alabama. He explicitly let himself be bitten by which venomous animal to verify/validate that it was indeed dangerous to humans?

Answer: Black Widow Spider

Some people in the 1930s could have easily said whether black widow bites hurt or not, but it was not widely circulated or trusted information. Blair set out to set the record straight, once and for all, by doing it scientifically. He let himself be bitten by a black widow in what was supposed to be the first of many repeated experiments.

He kept notes of his experience until he was no longer able to write. He had to be rushed to the hospital, but insisted that his assistants continue to take his notes for the whole ordeal. Blair recovered, but elected to not perform the follow-up experiments.
7. In the late 1800s, Giovanni Battista Grassi of Sicily discovered eggs in a corpse he was autopsying. After spending a year verifying he was not already infected, Grassi ingested the eggs, which successfully hatched into what?

Answer: Roundworms

Roundworms are a parasitic animal that live in the digestive system of other animals, feeding on what they digest. They are usually harmless, if unpleasant. Grassi actually took a long while to perform this experiment. He found the eggs and roundworms in a corpse, and decided to eat the eggs himself to see if they grew. First, though, he needed to make sure that he was not already infected.

He preserved the eggs in stool for a year while he studied his own stool for eggs. After giving himself a clean bill of health, he ate the eggs and was able to confirm the connection.

Afterwards, he recovered by using anti-worm medicine.
8. In the 1970s, Indian research student Shashikant Phadnis misheard the instruction to "test" a compound, and instead "tasted" it. To the delight of diet-soda makers, what new artificial flavour agent had just been discovered?

Answer: Sucralose

Sucralose would go on to be mass produced and marketed as Splenda. A lot of artificial sweeteners, such as Aspertame, were discovered by chemists before the use of gloves in laboratories. They would taste something sweet when smoking a cigarette, or eating food, and trace it back to their work in the lab. In modern labs, safety procedures are much stricter.
9. British Scientist John Burdon Sanderson Haldane (JBS Haldane) was known for performing many experiments upon himself, and even wrote the essay "On Being One's Own Rabbit". What did Haldane do that led to him being permanently partially deaf?

Answer: Placed himself in a decompression chamber

Haldane was concerned about the well being of sailors on submarines, and subjected himself to experiments in a pressure chamber to study the effects of being cooped up in a highly pressurized steel tube. Through his experiments, Haldane discovered nitrogen narcosis, which can make people feel "intoxicated" while under pressure.

He also discovered oxygen poisoning, which is why modern breathing apparatuses do not use pure oxygen. Haldane burst his own eardrum by putting so much pressure on it, but brushed it off by saying, "If a hole remains in it, although one is somewhat deaf, one can blow tobacco smoke out of the ear in question, which is a social accomplishment."
10. Which scientist, well-known for his contributions to math and science, in his earlier years decided to stick a needle in his eye to observe visual distortions?

Answer: Sir Isaac Newton

In one of his earlier experiments, Newton stuck a needle into his eye socket, and moved it around to literally see what would happen. He wrote up detailed notes (with diagrams) describing the spots and blurring he saw.

Sticking a needle in one's eye is not a wise decision. The optic nerve can be damaged, and the eye socket is one of the easiest ways to access (and damage) the brain.
Source: Author qrayx

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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