CANNON SUPPORTS USE OF POISON GAS IN WARFARE

"I should say that poison gas warfare is positively the most humane type invented, because of its humanity; it must not be forgotten that it proved itself the most efficient during the World War even though its use on a large scale was limited to the last two years of that struggle", said W. B. Cannon '96, George Lee Higginson Professor of Physiology, yesterday in commenting on the recent CRIMSON interview on chemical warfare. "Of the 18,000 men in war hospitals that I have recently visited, only four veterans were suffering from poison gas".

"Phosgene, which was the chief killing gas is not immediately painful, in fact, a man may breathe the gas for four hours and still keep fighting. The principal advantage of gas, however, is that it lowers the efficiency of the entire army more than 50 per cent because of the fact that masks interfere with eating, speaking, marching, and general fighting. I cannot agree that dichlorethyl sulphide, commonly called mustard gas or 'Yperite' is painless.

Gases Effective

Colonel O. L. Spaulding, Professor of Military Science and Tactics, reiterated his belief in the effectiveness and impermanence of disabilities caused by gases. "There is no reason to believe that toxic gases are any more inhuman than other methods of warfare, although according to the Washington Conference, there are articles especially designed against their use. Lachrymators such as xylyl bromide, and the common tear gases never cause a fatality, but completely disable all combatants. Tear gas forces men to close their eyes and causes irritation sufficient to make an army unfit for service".

Gas on Western Front

"During the war about 100,000 tons of gas were used, resulting in 534,000 casualties for nations on the Western Front. Only 4.2 per cent of these casualties resulted in death. In the last year of the war 33 per cent of American casualties were caused by gases, yet in the whole period in which America fought only 1,399 men were killed, contrasted with 2,370 who died of measles. Such acute irritants as chlorine and phosgene cause damage to respiratory organs, but nothing worse than pulmonary oedema. Even with such complete disability, only 0.38 per cent of the entire war expenses were devoted to poisonous gases. There are five types of gases. The first, active irritants such as chlorine and phosgene; the second, lachrymators, which render vision impossible; the third, paralysants, such as prussic acid, which are the most dangerous, causing immediate death by destroying the nervous system, when used in great concentration; the fourth, sternutators or sneezers, which are effective by causing respiratory irritation, nausea and general depression. Diphenyelchlorasine is the most frequently used. The fifth class are vesicants such as mustard gas, which accomplish their work by inflaming and blistering the skin. Mustard gas which is a liquid is not balked by gas masks since it remains on the ground for two weeks causing injury to clothing and skin coming in contact with it. Gases in concentration from one part in 2,000 to one part in 5,000,000 can incapacitate men in five minutes depending upon the particular kind of gas."