Chemical Warfare Weapons

It’s interesting to see the progression of weapons from the early beginnings to now. Most people believe that chemical warfare agents were first introduced during the World Wars. Interestingly enough, the concepts of these agents were developed as early as 600 B.C. They weren’t known as chemical warfare agents however; the techniques that were used mimic the action of these agents that are being used today. During the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens, the Spartan army used a mixture of chemicals in what they called the “Greek fire.” It was found to be that the “Greek Fire” was actually a mixture of sulfur, resin, pitches, naphtha, lime and saltpeter (Grey, 2006). In the early stages of World War I was when we first saw the use …show more content…
They are used due to their chemical abilities to cause physical and mental alterations. The sudden increase in popularity of these agents is due to the fact that they are not that expensive to make and copious amounts can be produced at a time. Since they can be mass-produced, if in the wrong hands, these agents can be put into explosive vessels and cause destruction among large groups of people in a single use. Furthermore, these chemicals have similar acute effects, making them difficult to differentiate. If these agents impacted a large group, only supportive care could be provided since there is no specific antidote to most known chemical agents (Ganesan, Raza, & Vijayaraghavan, …show more content…
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition which impacts the peripheral nervous system and impacts the communication between the brain and spinal cord to the other areas of the body. Neuropathy can be caused by damage to the axons or the myelin sheath that provides a protective coating and a form of insulation to the axon. If the connections between the main brain and spinal cord are severed, there are certain symptoms that occur including miscommunication between muscles and the neurons that react to the certain stimulus. The word neuropathy is defined as nerve damage and thus the nerves that could be referred to are motor, sensory or autonomic nerves. As a result, symptoms can range anywhere from numbness and tingling to paralysis or organ dysfunction depending on the type of nerves(s) that are damaged. Motor nerve damage can result in muscle damage or uncontrolled movements. Depending on the size of the sensory nerve that is damaged, patients may become over sensitive or even desensitized to environmental stimuli. In addition, sensory nerve damage can cause loss in coordination of body movements and inability to maintain balance. Damage to autonomic nerves causes loss of control of major organ systems (Institute of Medicine,