Common Cold Research Unit

A study by Porton s consultant psychologist in 1960/1961 on the personality and intelligence of over 500 service volunteers found two soldiers who had arrived at Porton by mistake because they had believed that they were going to the Common Cold Research Unit in Salisbury . A Porton member of staff later recorded similar instances on a series of card indexes for the period from 1964 to 1977. Although not representative, this provides hard evidence that at least some of the servicemen had come to Porton in the belief they would be assisting in common cold research, or had confused... 

CDEE (Porton) with the CCRU (the Common Cold Research Unit). Soldiers may not have been intentionally misled by the agencies of the state in an orchestrated conspiracy, but some certainly believed they were volunteering for common cold research when they had in fact signed up for tests with chemical warfare agents. 

MI, Folder 2G,Exhibit DGK/22, Volunteer s Application Form for Common Cold Research Unit, Salisbury , pp. 211—12. 

CCG, BE Control Commission for Germany, British Element CCRU Common Cold Research Unit... 

Tansey, E.M., DA. Christie, and L.A. Reynolds, eds., Making the Human Body Transparent The Impact of NMR and MRl. Research in General Practice. Drugs in Psychiatric Practice. The MRC Common Cold Unit , Wellcome Witnesses to... 

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