Chemical and Biologic Weapons — A Primer

Abstract

THE increasing development and stockpiling of chemical and biologic weapons have been well documented, and facts are available to all citizens.^{1 2 3} Because these agents injure, incapacitate and kill, and because their manufacture and possible use present grave ethical considerations, physicians in particular not only must be familiar with their existence and their properties but also must stand firm in questioning the moral and even practical justification of their use.HistoryThe origins of modern chemical and biologic warfare can be found in antiquity.⁴ Poisoned arrows, still used among some aborigines, were commonly employed in ancient Asia and Western Europe. Hannibal . . .