Chemical Warfare in the 18th Century? A Wallachian Chronicle and other Written Sources about it (original) (raw)

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Chemical weapons (CW) use toxic properties of chemical substances to kill, injure or incapacitate an enemy during warfare. Chemical weapons are classified by the United Nations (together with nuclear and bacteriological weapon) as weapons of mass destruction. Chemical weapons include both chemical munitions (e.g. bombs, shells, grenades) and chemical warfare agents. Chemical warfare agents may be in liquid, gas or solid form. Liquid agents are set to be volatile (high vapor pressure) so they can be dispersed over a large region quickly. Solid (mostly plasticized) form is used rarely issued. 15.1.1. SHORT HISTORY OF USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS Toxic properties of some natural agents were known and used as early as the stone age (e.g. toxic arc arrows). There were also attempts to use toxic compounds (mainly as smoke and fumes) against enemies in various ancient battles (e.g. by ancient Chinese and ancient Greeks). During the course of later centuries AC, toxic agents were sometimes used in wars and battles, but it is worth noting that battle commanders often considered these as "perfidious and odious" weapons and refused to use them. The first full-scale deployment of a chemical warfare agent, chlorine gas, was during the World War I, in the battle of Ypres (15 July, 1915) by the Germans to attack French troops (Figures 1 and 2). The use of chlorine gas caused 5000 death and 15,000 wounded cases. Two years later in 1917, also near Ypres, mustard gas (2,2-dichloro-diethyl sulphide) was used (see also: http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/ypres3.htm). From that time mustard gas was mostly known as Yperite. During the course of the whole World War I, there were 85,000 causalities and 1,176,500 wounded by chemical warfare. (see also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical warfare) After Word War I, the possible use of chemical weapons caused deep fear in the minds of most people at that time. In 1925, sixteen of the world's major I. E. Gonenc et al. (eds.

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