- Rawalpindi experiments
The Rawalpindi experiments were experiments involving use of
Mustard gas carried out on hundreds of Indian soldiers by the British scientists fromPorton Down [ [http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-porton-down.htm What is Porton Down?] ] Experiments were carried out before and during the second world war in a military installation atRawalpindi , now inPakistan . [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2007/sep/01/india.military Military scientists tested mustard gas on Indians - The Guardian] ] These experiments began in the early 1930s and lasted more than 10 years. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-09-01-3612902635_x.htm UK tested poison gas on Indian soldiers - USA Today] ]Since the publication of the scoop by
Rob Evans ofthe Guardian on 1st September 2007, these experiments are being referred to as Rawalpindi experiments or Rawalpindi mustard gas experiments in various discussions in the media and different forums.Owner of the project--Porton Down
The experiments in
Rawalpindi were part of a much larger project intended to test the effects of chemical weapons on humans. More than 20,000 British servicemen and women were subjected tochemical warfare trials between 1916 and 1989 at the Defence Ministry'sPorton Down research centre in southwestEngland .Aim of the experiments
The experiments were done to determine the effects of
mustard gas , now known to be highly carcinogenic (cancer causing).According to documents at the
British National Archives inLondon , British army scientists and doctors tested the effects of mustard gas on Indian soldiers for over a ten-year period. Beginning in the early 1930s, scientists atRawalpindi sent Indian soldiers, wearing only shorts and cotton shirts, into gas chambers to experience the effects ofmustard gas . The scientists hoped to determine the appropriate dosage to use on battlefields. Many of the subjects suffered severe burns from their exposure to the gas. [ [http://history1900s.about.com/b/2007/09/04/mustard-gas-tested-on-indian-soldiers.htm Mustard Gas Tested on Indian Soldiers] ]Effects on subjects
These inhuman and gruesome tests caused large numbers of burns, some of which were so damaging that the subjects had to be hospitalized. According to the report severely burned patients were often very miserable and depressed and in considerable discomfort, which could only be experienced to be properly realised. [ [http://www.eitb24.com/noticia/en/B24_64273 British military tested effects of mustard gas on Indians] ]
No long term effects of exposure were documented or studied.
Missing information
The patients were treated at the
Indian Military Hospital Rawalpindi now known as theMilitary Hospital Rawalpindi . The exact place where the British Military facility with gas chambers was located in Rawalpindi needs to be ascertained to fill up the gaps in historical record.Porton Down view
Porton Down officials have argued that trials took place in a different era, during a conflict, and so their conduct should not be judged by today's standards.
References
* British National Archives
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