Gas casualty figures for each belligerent during the First World War

Note The figures given in this table are very rough approximations. Only in the cases of the UK and the USA are reasonably adequate casualty statistics available. For the other belligerents, the figures given are those estimated by Colonel Prentiss of the US Army Chemical Warfare Service after his careful study of all available material. His treatise, op. cit. Chemicals in War, should be consulted for further information about his estimates. 

When examining the technical and scientific evolution of the respirator, the question of original invention inevitably arises. As Galarraga points out, while it is very likely that human beings used makeshift masks for thousands of years to protect their eyes, mouths and respiratory systems from smoke and dust, the first detailed description of a protective mask is usually credited to Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500s.80 Ironically, 

Little other individual protective equipment emerged during the First World War beyond impregnated leather gloves and linseed oil-impregnated suits for occasional use by troops in areas where mustard gas had been employed. These items were not in general use however, and the war ended before the particular problems associated with the protection of the skin against mustard gas had been studied. The only other notable 

Proper defensive equipment is a minimal requirement for the successful engagement of forces in chemical warfare. The indispensable item for the First World War soldier was his protective mask but, besides filtration of all harmful agents, the mask had to fulfil a number of other requirements to be efficient. It had to be comfortable and allow freedom of movement, full vision, easy breathing, communication and durability. The failure of all belligerents to develop a mask that could meet these requirements ultimately limited the combat effectiveness of the soldiers. 

It was natural that the war should be followed by a wave of anti-war feeling. The war had done what the writing of the economists had failed to do it had demonstrated that modern warfare brought loss on a colossal scale to the victors as well as the vanquished. The establishment of the League of Nations, and its early activities, showed a general determination to find an alternative to war for the settlement of international disputes. Nevertheless, the calls for worldwide disarmament continued and eventually legislation was passed in an effort to limit chemical weapons. 

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Table 2.4 Gas casualty figures for each belligerent during the First World War...

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