Hitler's Drugged Soldiers

Der Spiegel ^ | 06 May 2005 | Andreas Ulrich

[eno_]

But I can remember being issued something we called black beauties in 73 for E&E use. Even recently we saw the issue of "pills" for pilots on extreme range missions.

You are correct. Speed is still issued to pilots and long-range reconnaissance ops. Sometimes you have to stay awake for two or three days. It won't kill you. And there is nothing inherently immoral about it.

Getting hooked, OTOH, has no redeeming aspects.

[Chode]

Grifas... opium laced cigarettes, were part of their rations on the eastern front

[BILL_C]

This week came an announcement from England about an American Company (Cortex Pharma) doing a phase IIa test on Ampakines. These drugs are AMPA receptor potentiators (as LLY calls them) that apparently have NO side effects, increase cognition, and may be a treatment for Alzheimer's by delaying effects (not a cure, but making what you have left work better).

And on topic, they have COMPLETELY reversed the effects on sleep depravation in some tests, making scores BETTER than rested scores with monkeys.

DARPA has funded a study at Wake Forest under Sam Deadwyler using monkeys in sleep depravation with VERY IMPRESSIVE RESULTS. He is supposed to publish a paper in the near future on his studies. With the results this week, DARPA will probably provide MORE money for these drugs to be tested at Wake Forest. I believe they may also fund human testing on sleep depravation.

By the way, LLY says parkinson's disease can be cured with these drugs. CORTEX owns ALL the patents now. Quite a story is emerging!

From the DARPA web site:


Preventing Sleep Deprivation

Program Manager: Dr. Amy A. Kruse

Sleep deprivation is a fact of modern combat. Current operations depend upon the warfighter’s ability to function for extended periods of time without adequate sleep. For example, a pilot may be required to fly continuously for 30 hours or more in order to reach the target and safely return home. For Special Forces, a search and rescue mission may necessitate 48-72 hours of sustained activity, whereas advancing ground troops might engage in weeks of combat operations with only 3 hours of sleep per night. Command and control personnel frequently share similar, and sometimes even more extreme, requirements for sustained cognitive performance despite minimal sleep. The widespread operational demand for optimal performance in sleep-depriving conditions demonstrates the necessity for development of methods to safely combat sleep deprivation and to prevent the associated degradation of performance.
The goal of the Preventing Sleep Deprivation Program is to define and implement approaches to prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation, and to provide methods for recovery of function with particular emphasis on cognitive and psychomotor impairments. Examples of multidisciplinary research currently supported by this program include the following:

A research team centered at Wake Forest University is verifying and extending preliminary data demonstrating that the novel class of medicines known as "Ampakines" is protective against cognitive deficits associated with sleep deprivation. Ampakines already have been proven safe in humans, and are currently in clinical trials for the restoration of mental function in patients with dementia. It is envisioned that Ampakines may provide an alternative to current stimulant medications used by pilots.

http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrust/biosci/cap.htm

[Deetes]

Getting close. There are a few more hurdles . But we are close. Very close.

[WKUHilltopper]

Interesting. My dad told me the Chinese would get doped up before they came charging over the hills in Korea.

[MilspecRob]

I've always been told that they used methadone to keep the soldiers coming back. We use it in the US to treat heroin addicts (they basically replace heroin with methadone). As I understand it, an addiction to methadone is actually harder to break than one to heroin.

Heroin was developed for addicts to treat morphine addiction.

[MilspecRob]

My Mom was a "Rosie the riveter" during WWII and said that Benzedrine was extensively prescribed by Dr's for war plant workers like herself.

[Cvengr]

"But soldiers apparently felt that anything that could help them escape the horrors of war was justifiable. "

Nuts!

[MilspecRob]

eno, I agree with the essence of your post, however the problem is that "Getting hooked" on speed is real easy. Speed is great!. It makes a new man out of you! Problem is that in a very short time all the "New Man" really wants is more speed.

[jb6]

I watched a great program on it on the History Channel. Apparently they were using it from the outset of the war and a lot of Americans came back hooked from getting the stuff off of the dead Germans.

[eno_]

Now suppose some tweaker gets hold of these, stays up for 47 days and keels over dead. Wanna bet they'll become a controlled substance in no time flat.

[eno_]

Yes, and tweakers are the worst species of addict.

However, there isn't much to back the claim that making some drugs illegal has any benefit. Addicts get addicted, no matter the law.

[SuziQ]

Kind of like the original 'assassins' who smoked hashish before going out on their murderous, and mostly suicidal, missions.

[Zeroisanumber]

Pilots in the Air Force (and possibly other branches) have been using a type of amphetamine before they go on missions for quite some time now. I believe that it was cited as a possible factor in the friendly fire bombing that killed 4 Canadian soldiers a couple years ago.

[Blumtoon]

Whether a meth “cook” uses the “Nazi method” or the “red-P” method, he cannot make meth without ephedrine or pseudoephedrine – substances found in Sudafed, Claratin, and other over-the-counter cold medications that are widely available in local drug stores, supermarkets, and truck stops. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are to methamphetamine what flour is to bread – THE essential ingredient.

Now I know why I get wired when I take Sudafed or Clariton.

[Squantos]

One of the states up north MN ?? Is banning over the counter sale of actifed and sudafed etc or trying to.....prescription only in the future. Crazy world. Seems maybe we need to find a new continent to put meth users and pushers on. Maybe with the pedofiles who are also in the same "they can't help ourselves" column.....modern day Austraila per se. Meth I think has a rehab rate of less than 5% last I looked. With it being that easy to make and such a low percentage being able to kick their habit it is a very dangerous deal IMO.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.

Dextro-amphetamines were issued to us as part of our standard equipment, along with morphine syrettes, codeine, Darvon and various meds to deal with or prevent diarrhea, malaria, etc.

The Army also gave us cigarettes or sold them to us for next to nothing.

It just goes with the game I think.

Michael Frazier

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Blumtoon]

Meth is a very nasty drug. My sister used it regularly for a long time. She stopped probably 10 or 15 years ago but she now looks quite a bit older than me, even though she's a year younger than I am.

[R. Scott]

Yep.