SERVE TO LEAD? If You Wake at Midnight: The Lariam wonder drug scandal

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is the world-renowned 'centre of excellence for leadership', and only the highest caliber will be selected to train, and serve as Officers for the British Army.
Its motto, ‘Serve to Lead’ has been an unmovable concept and embeds our officers with the tools to uphold morale, leadership, discipline, the British Soldier, man management, duty and service, and of course courage.
Moral courage is the ability to stand up for and practice that which one considers ethical, moral behavior when faced with a dilemma, even if it means going against countervailing pressure to do otherwise.
While this motto has survived the changing social, political, and economic climate. It has outlasted wars, conflicts, insurgencies, defence cuts, changes in the military structure, and the revision of training styles to better fit current and future conflict environments.
But in the case of Mefloquine (Lariam) anti-malaria drugs, have our officers systematically failed to uphold their duty to care to protect the health and wellbeing of the very people they command?
'If You Wake at Midnight: The Lariam wonder drug scandal' by Lt Col (Retd) Andrew Marriott, is the story of the greatest scandal inflicted on British servicemen and women in modern times: drug-induced violence and suicide - and an officer determined to find the truth. It was supposed to be a wonder drug that would save the world from malaria. But soon after Lariam was brought to international markets in the late 1980s, users of this handy, once-a-week pill began to experience shocking side-effects. Yet over the coming decades, as the drug became implicated in ever-increasing acts of unexplained violence, homicide and suicide, the Ministry of Defence continued to force Lariam on tens, or perhaps hundreds, of thousands of unsuspecting people deployed to some of the world’s most dangerous places. Enduring years of Lariam-induced nightmares, former soldier Andrew Marriott realised something was horribly wrong; not just with the drug itself but with the institutions responsible for its use and safety. So began a journey towards the truth, a truth that vested interests in the United Kingdom and around the globe were determined to conceal. In a unique exposé of an entirely preventable pharmaceutical disaster, Marriott turns a spotlight on the murky world of clandestine military and industrial research in the United States in which Lariam was developed. With other survivors, including some very courageous women, he undertakes a forensic examination of a scandal extending to the upper echelons of government and the armed forces. A culture of betrayal and dishonour had imperilled those defending our country to the most insidious and silent form of friendly fire.
Get your copy here: amzn.eu/d/3wUfuD6
#Mefloquine #Lariam #ServeToLead #Quinism

[@Manc268]

I went out & bought the book, i wasnt in the army so get little help or get sent to people who know nothing about it. Huge respect for Andrew & his efforts to highlight the issue. Thanks

[@meftoxvet6532]

Fantastic bud, I’ll let him know. If you could leave a positive book review that would be awesome and help us highlight the issue👌🏻

[@johndowe1494]

Canada is inspired by your leadership in this advocacy space, Andrew. 🫡🇨🇦