World War II

GIs feared it would leave them sterile and impotent after the War: “A drug that turned white skin yellow and whose other side effect were unknown, Atabrine heightened servicemen’s sense of exile from ‘civilization’ and their estrangement from national goals. . . . Both widespread resistance to the administration of Atabrine and the resulting epidemic of malaria demonstrated a strong shared desire to evade military service. Some men tried to catch malaria, because they hoped for a discharge or transfer. Once hospitalized, patients often prolonged their stay by secretly spitting out the Atabrine pills they were required to swallow” (Pfau, ch 5, para 32-34).