Sunday, May 11, 2008

LSD and the corruption of medicine (Part IV): Pfizer and memory

Several pharmaceutical and chemical companies assisted MK-ULTRA and the US military to produce agents that were designed to kill or to incapacitate.

This Pfizer document "Research on New Chemical Incapacitating Agents". Part 1." By Chas. Pfizer and Co., Inc., (under contract to the Army's Chemical Research and Development Laboratories) dated Jun 30 1964 and declassified on Apr 16 2001 explains the intent.

In this report, Pfizer (then called Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc.) discusses its first year of research under its contract to create incapacitating agents, which produce tremors, dysphoria, confusion, muscle fatigue, pain, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing or swallowing, hypersensitive skin, dangerously low blood pressure, and - most importantly - retrograde amnesia.

The program of research involved several drugs including LSD. From pages 45-6 of the report: "Retrograde amnesia has been considered as a novel type of incapacitation that a drug may produce and was, therefore, included as a part of our research program".

For any business to succeed, it must know why it is there, and what it is there to achieve. Pfizer's public mission statement is: "We dedicate ourselves to humanity's quest for longer, healthier, happier lives through innovation in pharmaceutical, consumer, and animal health products. To achieve this purpose and mission, Pfizer affirm the values of Integrity, Leadership, Innovation, Performance, Teamwork, Customer Focus, Respect for People and Community."

Anyone noticed any retrograde amnesia? Perhaps Voltaire (1694-1778) would provide inspiration for a more appropriate mission statement. History is after all nothing but a pack of tricks we play on the dead.

There is no shame.

For Part I see Part I: Invention and the beginnings of MK-ULTRA
For Part II see Part II: The entanglement of academia
For Part III see Part III: Naming Names

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1 comment:

soulful sepulcher said...

This is a great series Aubrey.Thanks.