GAS WARFARE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18787, 22 May 1923, Page 9

GAS WARFARE

USE AGAINST DISEASE. AMERICAN EXPERIMENTS. NEW YORK. May 4. Interesting experiments conducted by Lieut.-Colom ’ Edward Vedder, oi the American Army Medical Corps, have demonstrated that tho deadly gases used in war may prevent the spread of influenza and pneumonia. The discovery was first made during the influenza epidemic, when work ers employed in the manufacture ot chlorine gas did not contract the disease. Upon investigation it was found there was a leakage of gas in the room in which the men worked, but insufficient quantities to injure them. Following the idea of chemical warfare in the service, the medical corps conducted experiments, and it is now believed that, if a smal' quantity of chlorine is introduced in schools, factories, churches, and other places where persons gather in large numbers, disease may be prevented. An experiment was conducted in the University of Arkansas during the epidemic of influenza, and showed that the 300 students being subjected to chlorine gas for five minutes daily reduced influenza by 90 per cent. The experiments are being, continued systematically in order to discover the relative merits of gases in the cure ot infectious diseases.