Incapacitating agents: Weapons of mass disruption

Abstract

Terrorism, and with it the possibility of hostage taking and sieges, has become a common feature of our times. The gas used to subdue terrorists in Moscow on 26 October 2002, which appeared to be responsible for the deaths of 123 of the 127 hostages killed in the crisis, remains unknown. Much criticism was levelled at the Russian security forces following the rescue of hostages for not revealing the exact agent used. This paper asks the questions: how deeply should doctors be drawn into the non-medical use of drugs and the unorthodox use of medical knowledge, and how can they help to predict and plan responses to misuse by others?