Biological and Chemical Warfare

dc.creator	G.C. Odendaal
dc.date	2012-02-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T20:07:51Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T20:07:51Z
dc.identifier	10.5787/20-3-358
dc.identifier	2224-0020
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/f3bb594ef34f4b62aae80f139b5142bd
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/7879
dc.identifier.uri	https://doaj.org/article/f3bb594ef34f4b62aae80f139b5142bd
dc.description	<p>1. Chemical and biological warfare is very old indeed, at least 2 000 years old. The arsenal consists of poison tipped arrows and darts, as well as toxins found in certain wood fibres that were used to incapacitate fish in streams. Armies laying seige to cities would catapalt corpses and entrails over the walls to induce a plaque and defecate into wells and water supplies. The Romans tilted salt into the soils of Carthage to prevent Carthage from ever becoming a threat to them in the future - either militarily or economically.</p> <p>2. Since World War II, bacteriological and chemical weapons have become an increasing possibility. But because there is no clear evidence that these agents have ever been used as modern military weapons, discussions of their characteristics and potential threat have to draw heavily upon experimental field and laboratory data, and on studies of naturally occurring outbreaks of epidemics of infectious disease, rather than on direct battlefield experience. The potential importance of biological agents in warfare can be sensed when one remembers that infectious disease even as recently as World War II caused numerous casualties.</p> <p>3. The greater threat posed by chemical weapons today derives from the discovery and manufacture of new, more toxic compounds. On the other hand, bacteriological agents already exist in nature and can be selected for use in warfare.</p> <p>4. It would appear that chemical and biological agents have been used on a wide scale today as weapons of war, especially against the inhabitants of Afghanistan. These weapons are mainly being used by the Soviets and it can therefore be concluded that the use of chemical and biological weapons in Southern Africa cannot be ruled out.</p>
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy)
dc.relation	http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/358
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2224-0020
dc.source	Scientia Militaria : South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 20, Iss 3 (2012)
dc.subject	Chemical and biological warfare
dc.subject	bacteriological and chemical weapons
dc.subject	World War II
dc.subject	infectious disease
dc.subject	bacteriological agents
dc.subject	chemical and biological agents
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.title	Biological and Chemical Warfare
dc.type	Article