Wouter Basson
Wouter Basson
Wouter Basson (pronunciation: Vow-ter Bass-on) is a South African cardiologist who headed the country's secret chemical and biological warfare project, Project Coast, during the apartheid era.
Etymology
The name "Wouter" is of Dutch origin, meaning "ruler of the army". "Basson" is a French surname, derived from the word "basson", meaning "bassoon" in English.
Biography
Wouter Basson was born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1950. He studied medicine at the University of Pretoria and later specialized in cardiology. In the 1980s, he was appointed as the head of Project Coast, a secret chemical and biological warfare program of the South African government during the apartheid era. Basson was accused of numerous human rights abuses, including the production of deadly drugs and poisons used against anti-apartheid activists. He was acquitted of all charges in 2002.
Related Terms
- Project Coast: A secret chemical and biological warfare program of the South African government during the apartheid era.
- Apartheid: A system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 until the early 1990s.
- Cardiology: A branch of medicine that deals with the disorders of the heart as well as some parts of the circulatory system.
- Biological warfare: The use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war.
- Chemical warfare: The use of toxic chemical substances as weapons.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Wouter Basson
- Wikipedia's article - Wouter Basson
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