STIFF: Chapter 6 Quiz

1.) What is the story behind the first American instance in which human cadavers were used as “human targets” in the army? Describe the experiment that was being attempted.
a. The first cadavers used as human targets in the army were in 1983. The cadavers used were suspended from the ceiling of the firing range and shot at over a dozen times. The goal was to compare the physiological effects of two different weapons upon the human body. The army determined that using human cadavers for this reason would lead to a more humanitarian way of gun fighting; which would help the army with their ultimate goal: not to kill the enemy, only render him unable to fight.

2.) Explain the significance of the animals chosen by each country to participate in the munitions trauma research. Refer to China, Australia, Britain, and the United States.
a. Before human cadavers were used in these experiments, animals were. Each country used different animals for different reasons. China used dogs primarily because they eat dogs there, meaning they don’t view them as family members as say Americans may view them. Australia preferred to use rabbits because they consider them an unwanted species that was ruining the environment. As for the U.S. and Britain, they used pigs and goats. Pigs were used because their organs most resemble human organs; particularly the heart. Goats were used because their lungs most closely resemble human lungs.

3.) What are the two theories regarding why a person collapses on the spot after being shot? Include who developed the theory and a description of the theory itself.
a. There are two theories as to why a person collapses on the spot after being shot. The first theory is from Duncan MacPherson, a ballistics expert and consultant to the LAPD, who insists that the effect is purely psychological. Whether or not a person collapses depends on their state of mind. The other theory is from a Swedish neurophysiologist names A.M. Goransson. He figured that something about the bullet’s impact on the human body caused a massive overload to the central nervous system.

4.) Describe the research that was done, using cadavers, to test armored clothing. Why were human cadavers used and what was used before the cadavers?
a. At the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology’s Ballistic missile Trauma Research lab last year, a new experiment was tested on armored clothing against modern-day ammunition. Human cadavers were dressed in newly developed body armor vests and fired at by a wide-variety of new munitions. Human cadavers were used because they represent the most accurate portrayal of actual humans that would be wearing the armored vests. Before human cadavers were used, animals were used.