News & Information - The Mercury - May 2009 Mercury

Borden Institute

Reflecting the critical threat posed by chemical warfare and terrorism, the Borden Institute has released Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare, the latest volume in the Textbooks of Military Medicine series.

An increasing "concern for the United States and its allies is that an ever-growing number of terrorist organizations will employ chemical warfare agents in an attack on military forces or civilians. As a result, efforts to prepare for such an attack have expanded and are now supported by the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Homeland Security, as well as the Department of Defense," said retired MG George Weightman, former commander of Medical Research and Material Command.

One copy of the book will be available free of charge to any active-duty Soldier. For information on the Borden Institute and how to order the publications, visit the organization online at www.bordeninstitute.army.mil.

Medical Aspects of Chemical Warfare is a comprehensive source of the information available on chemical agents, including detailed explanations of chemical detectors and protection equipment, methods of diagnosis, decontamination techniques, established and emerging countermeasures and therapy techniques, and response planning, as well as the history of chemical warfare and casualty management. This book will increase the level of preparedness and response capability of military and civilian practitioners responsible for chemical casualty care.

LTG Eric B. Schoomaker, The Surgeon General of the Army, calls the text "strongly recommended reading for all military medical personnel. … Many civilian medical professionals also will find this textbook to be a valuable reference as their hospitals prepare for the possibility of treating casualties of an accidental or deliberate exposure."

Written by a team of both military and civilian experts led by the Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, the book includes cutting-edge science that has emerged since the first edition to significantly expand diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. The book will provide the medical force with the latest information to help them understand and identify the chemical threat; to plan for response; to protect Soldiers, the public, and responders; and to deliver the highest quality of casualty care.

From the May 2009 Mercury, an Army Medical Department publication.