Qualia of blue

What makes up the qualia of blue? Where does the meaning of blue actually lie? In the rays of blue light itself, or in your interpretation of blue? The fact that we perceive such "things" as blue light or macroscopic objects lying at distinct places is due, partly at least, to the structure of our sensory and intellectual equipment. Even if blue light were abundant in the universe, it would still require a human brain to decode the message of blue light. Whatever we see as "blue" is a construct of the brain, and blue may be merely an interpretation of otherwise white light. In Moby Dick, Melville wrote,

"Consider that the mystical cosmetic which produces every one of her hues, the great principle of light, for ever remains white or colorless in itself, and if operating without medium upon matter, would touch all objects, even tulips and roses, with its own blank tinge-" (H. Melville, 1851)

I love Melville's description of mind as "medium upon matter". Our access to the mystical cosmetic is largely mediated through our senses and other factors.

when kids accidentally ingested LSD

There are reports of autistic or schizophrenic children who have taken LSD in a therapeutic setting, with variable effects. What happens when psychologically normal kids accidentally ingest LSD? Here are 3 anecdotal cases.

CASE 1

In 1966 on a Wednesday morning in April, a 5-year-old girl accidentally ingested 100 ug LSD on a sugar tablet in the refrigerator belonging to her 18-year-old uncle. Her name was Donna, but after the trip she substitutes Deborah for herself Donna, and thought that her body had been torn in half. The story told by the interviewing psychiatrist is very descriptive:

"Within an estimated 15 or 20 minutes the patient began to scream and cry, creating a commotion that awakened the household and alerted the uncle to the mishap. She was alternately screaming and silent. During her quiet periods she was motionless and unresponsive and apparently unaware of her surroundings. Physical examination about three hours after ingestion showed a screaming child with a temperature of 99 F (37 C), a pulse rate of 130 beats per minutes, 30 respirations per minutes, dilated pupils, and hyperreflexia. Treatment consisted of bed-rest and intravenous infusion of saline. Blood cell count and findings from examination of the urine were normal. The serum glutamic oxoloacetic transaminase value was elevated to 82 units and the alkaline phosphatase was elevated to 20.1 units."

"After four or five hours of hospitalization and intermittent napping, the patient became relatively calm, unfrightened, and responsive. At the same time she expressed many bizarre and apparently delusional ideas, such as that her body was cut off at the waist, that she was not herself but was a girl named Dorothy (a name similar to her own, Donna), that it was not she but Dorothy who had eaten supper, that she had gone home and her bed was occupied by a girl named Dorothy. The following morning, after an uneventful night's sleep, she seemed superficially responsive and rational. However, she still maintained that Donna had gone home during the night and that she was Dorothy and she wrote her name as Dorothy. In the course of the morning she became better oriented and began to recognize that she was Donna again."

"Psychiatric examination on the afternoon of April 7, about 30 hours after ingestion, showed a quiet, unreactive, apathetic girl. She responded promptly when questioned, and displayed an alertness that was in marked contrast to her prevailing apathetic mood. Her emotional range was very narrow and lacked normal modulation. Her verbalizations, although brief, were responsive and appropriate and she had a fairly good recollection of the events preceding hospitalization. In contrast to her condition of a few hours earlier, she was oriented and lucid. Her thinking was somewhat concrete. She was not able to express subjective feelings or experiences. It was inferred from her refusal to stand her complaint that her legs "hurt" that she was experiencing either paresthesias or a residuum of the preceding day's profound distortion of body image. She described a dream in which "they stole my mommy and tried to cut her in half" which seemed to be expressing the same distortion of body image or body perception." (D.H. Milman, 1967)

A psychiatric evaluation 5 days later showed that Donna was still abnormal and her IQ had dropped. At evaluation five months later, IQ levels had returned to normal, and the girl had returned completely to her typical behavior with flexible thinking processes. At the final examination nine months after the incident, the patient was in first grade and progressing well. She had a normal IQ, good concentration and cheerful mood with logical and appropriate thinking.

The substitution of her name for Dorothy provides an example of "depersonalization" after LSD, which generally refers to one not being oneself. The description of her body being torn in half suggests that she experienced a major alteration in body image.


CASE #2

A 25-month male infant ingested an estimated 200 ug LSD in the form of 2 purple microdots.

"At 10:30 AM on the day of admission the mother noted the onset of unusual behavior in her child: He appeared unsteady and stumbled, he was frightened and screamed while looking at a colored rug, at the ceiling, or upon seeing a housefly, and he frequently opened his eyes widely and covered his ears with his hands as if to block out unpleasant sounds. The mother recalled she had had two tablets of LSD, purple microdots, in her purse; she found the purse opened and both tablets missing. The child was taken to a local hospital where the family's physician noted that the child was in a state of "stark terror." He clung tightly to his mother, screaming at apparent visual hallucinations perceived on the walls of the examining room; he did not fix his gaze on persons or other objects." (B.M. Ianzito, 1972)

The child received an intramuscular injection of 10 mg chlorpromazine at 12:20 PM, one hour after which he had normal vital signs, was quiet, and fixed his gaze on objects for brief periods. Chlorpromazine seemed to be effective in the case of this 2-year old, although in other subjects chlorpromazine has reportedly intensify the LSD experience.


CASE #3

In 1973, a 23-month male infant admitted to hospital had ingested one LSD tablet 2 hr before admission. The child was very hysterical and hyperreactive. He was given 15 mL ipecac syrup to induce vomiting and he was given water, and a urine sample was collected for spectroscopy analysis. At 3 hours, the patient had calmed down and at 4 hours could recognize his mother. He was sent home from the hospital 2 days later in general good condition.

The dosages of LSD given to these 3 children were well above the adult threshold levels, and there was no indication of brain damage. Screaming and crying seemed to be a common reaction to LSD within the first 2 hours. There was a temperature increase to 99 F in the 5-year-old girl, consistent with an emotionally hyperactive state.


Reference

Ianzito B. M., B. Liskow and M. A. Stewart. (1972). Reaction to LSD in a two-year-old child. J.Pediatr. 80, 643-647. 10.1016/S0022-3476(72)80064-7

Milman D. H. (1967). An untoward reaction to accidental ingestion of LSD in a 5-year-old girl. JAMA. 201, 821-825. 10.1001/jama.201.11.821

Mueller R. G. and G. E. Lang. (1973). Fluorescent spectra of lysergic acid diethylamide: observations on a gastric extract. Am.J.Clin.Pathol. 60, 487-492.