In the May issue of Pediatrics, Chesney and Hedberg (1) recounted the
occurrence of rickets in lion cubs in the London Zoo in the late 19th
century. This has prompted us to reminisce of a similar case in which we
were involved directly, or indirectly
Sometime in the spring of 1961 Dr. John A Kirkpatrick† (Director of
the Department of Radiology at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children)
received a phone call from the veterinarian at the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which was located within a few
blocks of the hospital, stating that he needed a portable x-ray machine to
perform an x-ray examination of a lion named Laurie. The lion, that
according to the veterinarian was in his early adolescence, belonged to a
Temple University student who had cared for the animal in a cage in his
apartment until recently when the lion had become crippled and unable to
stand or walk. Dr. Kirkpatrick agreed and immediately formed a hospital
expedition team consisting of himself, two of the authors (VHA and AMD)
and Dr. James B Arey† (Director of the Department of Pathology).
Transportation of the machine was provided by the SPCA. The lion, who was
skinny and malnourished, needed to be anesthetized for the x-ray
examination. He was forced to the side of the cage by a water spray, VHA
took hold of the tail and AMD secured a venous access. A barbiturate
compound prepared by the veterinarian was infused intravenously. At the
completion of the infusion the lion had a respiratory arrest and could not
be resuscitated. It is not clear whether the overdose was a result of a
miscalculation or was due to the precarious clinical condition of the lion
which made the anesthetic dose reach the lethal level. X-rays were
obtained that showed multiple fractures and severe osteoporosis. Autopsy
revealed severe hyperparathyroidism in addition to multiple fractures.
Blood and tissue samples were collected for future studies which were
never performed. Euthenasia, although not intended initially, seemed
inevitable after x-ray findings became available.
The lion had been kept indoors all his life and was fed low quality
meat and animal parts unsuitable for human consumption. The case,
although intended for publication, never saw print; instead, it turned
into an amusing and unique after-dinner talk which, when embellished,
brought shock and awe to the audience, including one of the authors (IR).
As in the case of the lion cubs reported by Chesney and Hedberg, our
lion almost surely had several nutritional deficiencies including that of
taurine and calcium in addition to vitamin D deficiency. Unfortunately,
the biochemical abnormalities were never documented. Once again, animal
experiments, whether performed prospectively or occurring unintentionally,
provide invaluable information about pathophysiology of human conditions.
† Deseased
Iraj Rezvani, MD
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics (emeritus)
Temple University School of Medicine
Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics
Drexel University College of Medicine
Section of endocrinology and Diabetes
St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Philadelphia, PA
Victor H Auerbach, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics
Temple University School of Medicine
Former Director of Research and Clinical Laboratories
St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Philadelphia, PA
Angelo M DiGeorge, MD
Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics
Temple University School of Medicine
Former Chief, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism
St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
Philadelphia, PA
1-Chesney RW, Hedberg G: Rickets in lion cubs at the London zoo in
1889: Some new insights. Pediatrics 123:e1-e3, 2009
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
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