Biography of an Inventor: Dr. Karl Connell

If you were blindfolded and facing a firing squad with ten rifles leveled at you, and you heard the count reach five on the way to ten, what would be your last thought? On April 6, 1917, the United States of America declared war on Germany. General John J. Pershing was appointed commander of the American Expeditionary Force. He arrived in Paris on June 14 to plan the creation of an army capable of defeating a formidable adversary. To do so he became thoroughly familiar with the hazards of gas warfare. He learned the Germans had recently used a new gas, called Mustard Gas, with devastating effect. To better cope with this new weapon, on September 3 he ordered the creation of the Gas Service and appointed a member of his staff, Lt. Colonel Amos E. Fries, its chief. He asked the noted neurosurgeon, Dr. Harvey Cushing, to help him find any doctors who could help protect American troops from poisonous gases. Dr. Cushing could recommend only one, Dr. Karl Albert Connell. General Pershing immediately sent a personal cablegram for Dr. Connell to which he promptly responded. This is his story divided into two parts. Part One, Biography of an Inventor, covers the period from 1878 to 1925 and is based on documented historical records. Part Two, Adventures with Dad, is a memoir as told by his son Karl Connell, Jr. after consulting his sisters, Barbara Connell Mooney and Gioia Connell Brock.