Frederick,Maryland,researchersfed 60 beagle dogsvaried
dosesoftheexplosiveTNT.ThedogsweregiventheTNTin
capsules every day for six months. Symptoms observed
includeddehydration,emaciation,anemia,jaundice,lowbody
temperature, discolored urine and feces, diarrhea, loss of
appetiteandweightloss,enlargedlivers,kidneysandspleen,
and the beagles became uncoordinated. One female was
“found to be moribund[dying]” during week 14 and was
killed;anotherwasfounddeadduringweek16.Thereport
statesthattheexperimentrepresents“aportion”ofthedata
whichtheFortDetricklaboratoryisdevelopingontheeffects
ofTNTonmammals.Becauseinjurieswereobservedevenat
thelowest doses,thestudy failed to establishthe level at
which TNT had no observable effects; thus, the report
concludes“additionalstudies...ofTNTinbeagledogsmay
be warranted.”^6
Inanycase,itiswrongtolimitourconcerntodogs.People
tendto care aboutdogsbecausethey generallyhavemore
experiencewithdogsascompanions;butotheranimalsareas
capableofsufferingasdogsare.Fewpeoplefeelsympathy
forrats.Yetratsareintelligentanimals,andtherecanbeno
doubtthatratsarecapableofsufferinganddosufferfromthe
countlesspainfulexperimentsperformedonthem.Ifthearmy
weretostopexperimentingondogsandswitchtoratsinstead,
we should not be any less concerned.
Someoftheworstmilitaryexperimentsarecarriedoutata
place known as AFRRI—the Armed Forces Radiobiology
ResearchInstitute, inBethesda, Maryland.Here,instead of
using a Primate Equilibrium Platform, experimenters have
tied animals down in chairs and irradiated them or have
trained them to press levers and observed the effects of