Fritz Haber was a brilliant scientist that developed many chemical weapons. He was born in Breslau, Germany on December 9, 1868 and was found dead in a Swiss hotel room in 1934 (1). Fritz Haber invented ammonia synthesis, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1918 for his work. Haber also promoted the use of poison gases and helped developed mustard gas (Hazell, “Mustard Gas – from the Great War”). He also led many of his colleagues to invent other deadly gases. Once a deadly gas used to kill many now has many benefits and is even used to treat cancers.
The first use of mustard gas was during World War I, in 1917 (History.com Staff, “Germans Introduce Poison Gas”). In July of 1917 troops based in Ypres, Belgium began to complain of a cloud around their feet that had a peppery smell (Hazell, “Mustard Gas – from the Great War”). Within the first 24 hours mustard gas would cause the skin to itch uncontrollably, blisters and sores, and in some cases people would cough up blood. Mustard gas was considered to be one of the most deadly weapons in war. Since mustard gas could be absorbed through the skin, it …show more content…
Louis Goodman and Alfred Gilman, both of Yale University, began by looking at the medical records of soldiers affected by mustard gas. It was found that people exposed to mustard gas had toxic changes in their bone marrow that would develop into blood cells (Medical and editorial content team, “Evolution of Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy”). If these cells were to mutate it could lead to leukemia and lymphoma (Hazell, “Mustard Gas – from the Great War”). While trying to create more effective agents of chemical weapons, the United States Army discovered nitrogen mustard, which was found to work against lymphoma (Medical and editorial content team, “Evolution of Cancer Treatments: