Chemische wapens een eeuw geleden

In 1918, the Germans placed heavy emphasis on the use of chemical weapons in their tactical plans. The Germans deployed some 30,000 tonnes of war gas that year, roughly the same quantity as the total quantity they had used in the two and a half years before. When the Americans joined the fight against the ‘Central Powers’ in the spring of 1917, it was clear that they had to prepare for the deployment of such weapons. Within six months, a university campus was set up with laboratories and equipment for field tests. Pathological research into the biological effects of chemical weapons was conducted in collaboration with Yale University. Milton Winternitz was the director of this research. Shortly after the war, he would modernise medical education in his capacity of dean of the Yale Medical School. The natural sciences became much more important for medical practitioners under his vision. This is a forgotten legacy of the war gases from the First World War.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.