Effects of brief exposure of domestic fowl to very intense acceleration fields.

Since biological responses to high sustained Gz (HSGz) are determined largely by field intensity and duration of exposure, a series of experiments was arranged to emphasize the effects of field intensity. Male Rhode Island Red chickens were given a single standard exposure of 1 min to a field, which increased from 5-18 +Gz for the series. Acceleration-induced changes were observed in heart rate during and after the treatment, and in lymphocyte frequency and body mass maintenance subsequently. Generally, there was an increasing bradycardia and lymphopenia, which was proportional to field strength. Above 13 G, normal growth and even the maintenance of a pre-treatment body mass were impaired.