When soldiers are used as guinea pigs

The army's Medical Corps has carried out at least 22 other medical trials since 2005 involving soldier volunteers.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
needle 88 (photo credit: )
needle 88
(photo credit: )
In addition to the IDF's Anthrax vaccine trial, codenamed Omer 2, which has been severely criticized by the Israel Medical Association, the army's Medical Corps has carried out at least 22 other medical trials since 2005 involving soldier volunteers. The following is a list of some of those trials.
  • • Special army uniforms designed to prevent tick bites were given to 362 soldiers to test their effectiveness. The uniforms were soaked in a chemical for the trial.
  • • One hundred soldiers took part in a trial designed to avert barotrauma, a condition that damages body tissue after divers experience changes in pressure. The trial was aimed at identifying divers who had an increased chance of suffering from the condition.
  • • Thirty soldiers took part in an experiment designed to study the effects of sea sickness and its impact on the body's system of balance. The trial sought to produce new treatments for the condition.
  • • Three hundred army recruits volunteered to take part in a trial aimed at monitoring the spread of streptococcus pneumonia among soldiers who carry a certain genetic marker.
  • • Twenty soldiers were given a pill that measured their body's core temperature during IDF drills. The test sought to uncover new ways of preventing extreme physiological changes.
  • • A dynamic MRI scanner was used in a trial involving 15 soldiers and 15 civilians, aimed at tracing the source of knee pain when carrying heavy loads.