---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What we know from World War I is that…"
description: "\"What we know from World War I is that some of our troops had acute symptoms of exposure to chemicals, had bad health and died because of chemical expos..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/christopher-shays-41350_acute_what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-so_835516.jpg"
---

#  What we know from World War I is that some of our troops…

![“What we know from World War I is that some of our troops had acute symptoms of exposure to chemicals, had bad health and died because of chemical exposure in World War I.” quote by Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/christopher-shays-41350_acute_what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-so_835516.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/christopher-shays-41350_acute_what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-so_835516.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/christopher-shays-41350_acute_what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-so_835516.jpg)

> “What we know from World War I is that some of our troops had acute symptoms of exposure to chemicals, had bad health and died because of chemical exposure in World War I.”

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Chemical weapons caused severe health issues for soldiers, leading to death and long‑term illness.

**In simple terms:** Chemicals harmed troops in WWI.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and prevent chemical hazards.

Themes

war health ethics

Mood

somber reflective

Type

historical informative

When to use this quote

- military training
- medical preparedness
- policy making

Key Concepts

chemical warfare military medicine occupational safety

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we better protect soldiers today?
- What lessons apply to civilian chemical safety?

A Different Perspective

Historical context differs; modern protections reduce risk.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Acute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acute/) [Bad health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-health/) [Exposure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exposure/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Troops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/troops/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war/)

## Related quotes

> [The bottom line to this is, there are few doctors who have any expertise in chemical exposure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/the-bottom-line-to-this-is-there-are-few-doctors-who-have-any/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/not-all-chemicals-are-bad-without-chemicals-such-as-hydrogen-and/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [“Bad chemicals and bad ideas were the Yin and Yang of madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/bad-chemicals-and-bad-ideas-were-the-yin-and-yang-of-madness/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals like Hydrogen and Oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/not-all-chemicals-are-bad-without-chemicals-like-hydrogen-and-oxygen/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Biography should be written by an acute enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/biography-should-be-written-by-an-acute-enemy/)

[Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/)

> [My father's drinking was sometimes a problem. And a great deal went unspoken. He was not particularly acute or articulate about the emotions. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/my-father-s-drinking-was-sometimes-a-problem-and-a-great-deal-went/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [My political mission is as acute as ever. For me, in addition to kind of looking at the world and trying to engage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/my-political-mission-is-as-acute-as-ever-for-me-in-addition-to-kind/)

[Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/)

> [I like art history and art criticism. Leo Steinberg has always been my favorite. He's very original, very accurate and acute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/i-like-art-history-and-art-criticism-leo-steinberg-has-always-been-my/)

[Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/)

> [“I have acute pancreatitis." "I thought it was just average looking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bank/i-have-acute-pancreatitis-i-thought-it-was-just-average-looking/)

[Melissa Bank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bank/)

> [The Australian wedge-tailed eagle has enormous eyes, both in absolute terms and compared with most other birds, and as a result has the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-birkhead/the-australian-wedge-tailed-eagle-has-enormous-eyes-both-in-absolute/)

[Tim Birkhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-birkhead/)

> [“No one else’s suffering is ever as acute as your own,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcclellan/no-one-else-s-suffering-is-ever-as-acute-as-your-own/)

[Brian McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcclellan/)

> [We have an opportunity to create a future where we are actually encouraging providers to keep people away from acute care, whenever possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/we-have-an-opportunity-to-create-a-future-where-we-are-actually/)

[Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/)

> [Sometimes, I think the best kind of poem is one in which there is an acute balance between what is humorous and that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-scott-momaday/sometimes-i-think-the-best-kind-of-poem-is-one-in-which-there-is-an/)

[N. Scott Momaday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-scott-momaday/)

> [The weird thing about this business - and I'm sure this operates in many other things, but it's very present and acute in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lili-taylor/the-weird-thing-about-this-business-and-i-m-sure-this-operates-in/)

[Lili Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lili-taylor/)

> [There's nothing wrong with me...except acute chronic fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-me-except-acute-chronic-fear/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

## More by Christopher Shays

> [I'd like people to listen to our soldiers. They were there. They heard the alarms go off. They tasted the substance in the air.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/i-d-like-people-to-listen-to-our-soldiers-they-were-there-they-heard/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [But I would argue that a longer war it's more difficult to keep records than a shorter war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/but-i-would-argue-that-a-longer-war-it-s-more-difficult-to-keep/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [The bottom line to this is, there are few doctors who have any expertise in chemical exposure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/the-bottom-line-to-this-is-there-are-few-doctors-who-have-any/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [Yes, there is a story about Agent Orange, and we knew that it harmed our troops and we knew how long it was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/yes-there-is-a-story-about-agent-orange-and-we-knew-that-it-harmed/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [First off, we've had sworn testimony from soldiers and testimony before our staff that wasn't sworn, that said these alarms rarely went off, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/first-off-we-ve-had-sworn-testimony-from-soldiers-and-testimony/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [The bottom line is that the CIA knew before the war, during and war, and after the war where most of these chemicals were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/the-bottom-line-is-that-the-cia-knew-before-the-war-during-and-war/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [There's another issue here - and I have some limits as to what I can say - but there's some real question as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/there-s-another-issue-here-and-i-have-some-limits-as-to-what-i-can/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [Oh it's clearly a cover up. I mean, I have no reluctance in saying that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/oh-it-s-clearly-a-cover-up-i-mean-i-have-no-reluctance-in-saying-that/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

> [We knew shortly after the war that our troops were becoming ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/we-knew-shortly-after-the-war-that-our-troops-were-becoming-ill/)

[Christopher Shays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

[Explore all 10 Christopher Shays quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/)

## More Acute quotes

> [There's nothing wrong with me...except acute chronic fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-me-except-acute-chronic-fear/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [The weird thing about this business - and I'm sure this operates in many other things, but it's very present and acute in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lili-taylor/the-weird-thing-about-this-business-and-i-m-sure-this-operates-in/)

[Lili Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lili-taylor/)

> [Sometimes, I think the best kind of poem is one in which there is an acute balance between what is humorous and that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-scott-momaday/sometimes-i-think-the-best-kind-of-poem-is-one-in-which-there-is-an/)

[N. Scott Momaday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-scott-momaday/)

> [We have an opportunity to create a future where we are actually encouraging providers to keep people away from acute care, whenever possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-sebelius/we-have-an-opportunity-to-create-a-future-where-we-are-actually/)

[Kathleen Sebelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-sebelius/)

> [“No one else’s suffering is ever as acute as your own,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcclellan/no-one-else-s-suffering-is-ever-as-acute-as-your-own/)

[Brian McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcclellan/)

> [The Australian wedge-tailed eagle has enormous eyes, both in absolute terms and compared with most other birds, and as a result has the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-birkhead/the-australian-wedge-tailed-eagle-has-enormous-eyes-both-in-absolute/)

[Tim Birkhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-birkhead/)

> [“I have acute pancreatitis." "I thought it was just average looking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bank/i-have-acute-pancreatitis-i-thought-it-was-just-average-looking/)

[Melissa Bank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bank/)

> [I like art history and art criticism. Leo Steinberg has always been my favorite. He's very original, very accurate and acute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-vendler/i-like-art-history-and-art-criticism-leo-steinberg-has-always-been-my/)

[Helen Vendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-vendler/)

> [My political mission is as acute as ever. For me, in addition to kind of looking at the world and trying to engage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/my-political-mission-is-as-acute-as-ever-for-me-in-addition-to-kind/)

[Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/)

> [My father's drinking was sometimes a problem. And a great deal went unspoken. He was not particularly acute or articulate about the emotions. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/my-father-s-drinking-was-sometimes-a-problem-and-a-great-deal-went/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [Biography should be written by an acute enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/biography-should-be-written-by-an-acute-enemy/)

[Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/)

> [My dog is vicious to the uninvited guest, lavishly affectionate to the invited one, and so freakishly acute that he has mastered the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-hanff-korelitz/my-dog-is-vicious-to-the-uninvited-guest-lavishly-affectionate-to-the/)

[Jean Hanff Korelitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-hanff-korelitz/)

> [When the suffering becomes acute enough, one goes forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/when-the-suffering-becomes-acute-enough-one-goes-forward/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [ Acute \[diseases\] meaning those of which God is the author, chronic meaning those that originate in ourselves. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/acute-diseases-meaning-those-of-which-god-is-the-author-chronic/)

[Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/)

> [I might have been just as happy to have been a practicing primary-care doctor. But as a medical student, I had interacted with patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rothman/i-might-have-been-just-as-happy-to-have-been-a-practicing-primary/)

[James Rothman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rothman/)

[Browse all 35 Acute quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acute/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What we know from World War I is that some of our troops had acute symptoms of exposure to chemicals, had bad health and died because of chemical exposure in World War I.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Shays"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-some-of-our-troops-had-acute/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acute"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-some-of-our-troops-had-acute/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/christopher-shays-41350_acute_what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-so_835516.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/christopher-shays-41350_acute_what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-so_835516.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d6/christopher-shays-41350_acute_what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-so_835516.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What we know from World War I is that some of our troops had acute symptoms of exposure to chemicals, had…” — Christopher Shays",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Christopher Shays",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-shays/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What we know from World War...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-some-of-our-troops-had-acute/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-shays/what-we-know-from-world-war-i-is-that-some-of-our-troops-had-acute/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```