THERE is something chilling about turning research intended to ease suffering into a weapon that can be used to hurt people. Nociceptors, nerve cells that convey pain in the body, have been studied by researchers trying to relieve chronic pain. It emerged this week that a group working for the Pentagon is using that knowledge to turn the tables: to maximise the pain caused by a non-lethal weapon called a Pulsed Energy Projectile (PEP). So it is no surprise that pain researchers have reacted in horror to the plan (see "Maximum pain is aim of navy study").
Some might argue that their worries are misplaced. After all if the research is successful, the police could in future carry PEPs rather than guns. If that were to happen, fewer people would end up dead: they would just have to recover from a severe bout of pain.
It sounds plausible, except there are grave concerns that PEPs will cause permanent nerve damage and psychological harm. Also, non-lethal weapons tend not to remain confined to police forces. Soldiers have used them in combination with conventional weapons. There have been several reports, for example, of soldiers flushing out caves with CS gas and shooting those who run out.
Despite the chill, we should not condemn this research simply because it subverts medical knowledge. The idea falls at the same point as all other non-lethal weapons: they can be fatal and they are abused.
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