Medical Science and the Military: The Allies' Use of Amphetamine during World War II

Abstract

Although amphetamine was thoroughly tested by leading scientists for its effects in boosting or maintaining physical and mental performance in fatigued subjects, the results never provided solid grounds for approving the drug's use, and, in any case, came too late to be decisive. The grounds on which amphetamine was actually adopted by both British and American militaries had less to do with the science of fatigue than with the drug's mood-altering effects, as judged by military men. It increased confidence and aggression, and elevated "morale."

The warrior in the machine: neuroscience goes to war

“…Originally used as decongestants, the psychostimulant actions of amphetamines were not fully appreciated until the 1930s 38 but were thereafter quickly pressed into service by the military during the Second World War 39 . In Nazi Germany a methamphetamine derivative called Pervetin was widely used by the Luftwaffe and possibly even by the High Command 40,41 .…”

Vaccine-driven pharmacodynamic dissection and mitigation of fenethylline psychoactivity

“…1–3,16,17 Furthermore, as with the use amphetamine and methamphetamine in prior conflicts, fenethylline has been identified as a source of pharmacological morale in battle. 3,4,18–20 The ultimate source of fenethylline’s psychoactive effects has historically been a debated subject, with some results supporting the position that the parent compound itself exhibits psychoactive effects distinct from those of other central stimulants, while others posit that it acts as merely an amphetamine prodrug. 6–11 Considering the additional effort required to synthesize fenethylline, its continued manufacture and use in resource-strained conflict areas provides support for the hypothesis that this drug exhibits exploitable psychostimulant effects that differ from amphetamine alone.…”

Pharmacoterrorism: the potential role of psychoactive drugs in the Paris and Tunisian attacks

“…Both the Allies and Nazis used amphetamines for enhancement purposes during World War II (Defalque & Wright 2011;Rasmussen 2011). At the time, increased aggressive behaviour and increased confidence were described in fighters taking these drugs (Defalque & Wright 2011;Rasmussen 2011).…”