Army medical services in the field / [War Office].

Date:
1950
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Army medical services in the field / [War Office]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    a relatively simple procedure which can be carried out before removal of respirators in order to minimize the danger of infection from clothing, etc. (e) Immunization with vaccines.—Vaccines are specific in their action, so their value would depend on the agent used. There is a time lag in attaining immunity; for this and other reasons, mass immunization may not be a prac- ticable proposition. (f) Prophylaxis and treatment with antibiotics and chemothera- peutic agents may prove of great value in the case of certain agents. (g) Maintenance of morale by instruction in the honegee of biological warfare is of great importance. PART III—CHEMICAL WARFARE General 440. The gases most likely to be used in a war in the near future, arranged in order of their importance are the nerve gases, mustard and phosgene. Each has its own administrative problems and these may well be complicated by the simultaneous use of high explosive. The nerve gases and mustard are liquids at ordinary temperature, whereas phosgene is a gas. 441, Allthreeare potentially lethal agents; nerve gases and mustard possess in addition very great harassing power. The mode of death differs widely between the three. Nerve gases kill quickly if in sufficient concentration, whereas death from mustard and phosgene is rarely immediate and takes place as a rule in hours, or more often, days after exposure. The ratio of deaths to casualties is high in the case of phosgene, low for the other two. 442. The service respirator protects the face, eyes and respiratory tract fully against all three, and protective clothing of the oilskin type gives limited protection against liquid nerve gases and mustard. Phosgene is only effective by inhalation, so that no protection other than a respirator is needed. Given timely warning of their presence, there is therefore no reason why trained troops should suffer casualties through inhalation, but, unless impregnated clothing is worn (to- gether with the prophylactic use of ointment on the exposed parts of the body) it is not easy to avoid skin burns from mustard vapour, particularly in hot climates, or the effects of absorption of nerve gases. 443. Quite apart, however, from causing casualties, the nuisance value of gas warfare in impeding movement, diverting effort, dis- turbing rest, increasing physical strain and denying access to ground is very great, and for this reason it is possible that nerve gases and ‘mustard will be used against forward troops.