Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare (2008) - The Black Vault

History of the Medical Management of Chemical CasualtiesFor North American medicine, the leap from thefirst stage to the second was the most difficult, becauseit required a change in professional modesof thinking: the medical educator (if not the averagepractitioner) had to come to understand andaccept the importance of the scientific method forthe advancement of medical knowledge. Attainmentof the fourth stage, medicine’s “final victory,”required as well a change in American socialvalues: the average citizen had to perceive theproducts of scientific investigation as important—indeed necessary. 86There is still much to learn about medically managingchemical casualties. Past lessons must be combinedwith current research and future predictions to bestprepare military medical personnel for a chemical attack.The United States has not seen chemical warfarein any sizable scale since World War I, but its militarymedical personnel must continually be ready to respondin the event of an attack.REFERENCES1. Gilchrist H. Instructor notes from Gilchrist’s lecture on the history of chemical warfare. Science. 1929;70:113–117.2. Mueller U. Die Chemische Waffe IM WeltKrieg Und Jetzt [The Chemical Weapon in the World War and Now]. Berlin, Germany:Verlag Chemie; 1932: W10.3. Mayor A. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs. New York, NY: Overlook; 2003.4. Thucydides. The History of the Peloponnesian War. Crawley R, trans. New York, NY: Modern Library; 1934.5. Laffout R. The Ancient Age of Warfare: 1300b c–1650a d. Vol 1. New York, NY: Time-Life; 1966: 45--46.6. McWilliams JL, Steel RJ. Gas! The Battle for Ypres, 1915. St Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada: Vanwell Publishing Ltd;1985.7. Foulkes CH. Gas! The Story of the Special Brigade. London, England: W Blackwood and Sons: 1934: 345.8. Der Weltkrieg 1914 bis 1918: Sommer und Herbst 1915 [The World War 1914 to 1918: Summer and Autumn 1915]. Vol 8.Berlin, Germany: Im Auftrage des Reichskriegsministeriums, Mittler und Sohn; 1932: 34–49.9. Legg J, Parker G. The Great War Web site. Ypres Salient page. Available at: www.greatwar.co.uk/westfront/ypsalient/.Accessed January 9, 2008.10. Duguid AF. History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War, 1914–1919. Vol I. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: King’s Printer;1947.11. Les Armées Françaises dans la Grande Guerre [French Armies in the Large War]. Ministere de la guerre, etat-major de l’armee[Director of the Large War, Army Chief of Staff]: Librairie Payet; 1913. Appendix no. 1392.12. British Military Operations: France and Belgium 1915. London, England: Macmillan and Co Ltd; 1927.13. Zapotoczny Walter S. The use of poison gas in World War I and the effect on society [Walter S Zapotoczny Web site].Available at: http://wzaponline.com/PoisonGas.pdf. Accessed March 18, 2008.14. Cushing H. From a Surgeon’s Journal, 1915–1918. Boston, Mass: Little, Brown and Company; 1936.15. Cochrane R. The First Division at Cantigny, May 1918. In: U.S. Army Chemical Corps Historical Studies, Gas Warfare inWorld War I. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief Chemical Officer, US Army Chemical Corps Historical Office; 1958.Study Number 11.16. Prentiss AM. Chemicals in War: a Treatise on Chemical War. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1937.17. Gabriel RA, Metz KS. From the Renaissance through modern times (contributions in military studies). Vol. 2. In: AHistory of Military Medicine. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press; 1992: 245.109