Still a Dangerous Place

I read recently about the passing of Wallace L. Pannier, who is described in nearly all accounts as a “germ warfare scientist”. And so he was. Mr. Pannier worked for many years in the U.S.’ offensive biological warfare program, and is probably best remembered for the various simulated biological attacks performed as experiments in the New York subway systems, a Washington airport and various bus stations, seeking to understand how bacteria would disseminate following a deliberate release. The bacteria used in these experiments were thought at the time to be benign, although they have since been characterized as human pathogens. The results of these experiments demonstrated fairly clearly that even simple dispersal methods can be very effective. So years ago, the evidence was already in that gives lie to claims that biological warfare (or in more modern parlance, bioterrorism) was too difficult for amateurs to engage in.

What was uncharacteristically – and blessedly -- missing in the stories about Pannier was any hyperbole linking him with “war crimes” or “genocide” or any of the other usual labels one has become accustomed to hearing. Mr. Pannier, like many others, was engaged in research that at the time was seen as just another form of warfare, perhaps not dissimilar to nuclear warfare. With the virtue of hindsight, we now recognize how horrible a biological war would be, and have rightly banned any research into offensive use of such agents. DVC, like many other companies, is engaged in research to prevent the effects of such use.

But the world is still a dangerous place. The possibility of a nuclear incident is arguably greater than at any time in recent history, and yet the nukes are still with us. Despite the statements by politicians, the prospect of a nuclear-free world is vanishingly remote. So too, is the idea that we will be able to prevent the use of biological weapons. Like the nuclear genie, the technology to create bioweapons is now out of the bottle. We must learn to deal with this, and to have the resolve to prepare ourselves accordingly.

--R.V. House