In an investigation of the relationship of uric acid (a metabolic end product) to achievement, this study hypothesized that a person's serum urate level (a factor often associated with gout) is positively related to achievement need as well as indicators of actual achievement. (Speed of promotion and number of yearly publications were chosen as achievement criteria.) Interviews, test scores, and physiological measurements (including cholesterol readings) were used to collect data from 25 assistant, 25 associate, 46 full professors, and 18 academic administrators at the University of Michigan. Motivation was measured in a projective test involving storytelling, and through a rating scale. Although the exact psychological correlates of bodily processes involving uric acid still defy precise analysis, findings did confirm a relationship between achievement orientation (such traits as drive, self-confidence, and attitude toward pressure) and respondents' serum urate levels. High scholarly productivity was relatively dependent on personal drive, while speed of promotion depended more on decisions by others. Thus, it also appears, that different criteria of success prevail at different levels of the academic hierarchy. (LY)