The army was one of the most privileged and respected institutions in the USSR. Despite the strict order and iron discipline in the Soviet army, military service was overgrown with conjectures and tales that were passed from mouth to mouth - from old-timers of one call to the "salags" of another. Especially popular was the talk about adding bromine to the soldiers' food.
Dangerous element
Bromine is a chemically active non-metal from the halogen group. It was rumored that it was mixed in powder form in the food of military personnel in order to reduce their libido - sexual desire. This was done so that during the service the soldier thought exclusively about the defense of the Motherland, and not about amorous adventures and attractive citizens who remained outside the military unit.
It is worth noting that after several months of service, many soldiers did notice a certain decrease in potency. And the first suspicion in connection with this fell precisely on bromine.
However, in its pure form, this chemical element for the body is a real poison. And male libido is the last thing that can suffer from it. No wonder during the First World War it was used for the production of toxic substances.
If the servicemen of the Soviet Army had been poured into their food, then the next place of their stay after the canteen would have been the medical unit. The fact is that bromine causes digestive upset, dizziness and even nosebleeds. In addition, when it enters the human body in its pure form, this chemical element leads to redness and tearing of the eyes, makes breathing difficult, dulls the reaction and impairs memory.
With such symptoms, you will not only forget about the girls, but also the service in the army itself. And this is already a weakening of the state's defense capability with all the ensuing negative consequences for national security.
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Chemists and physicians do not recommend not only eating bromine, but even sniffing it.
What about the potency?
So what is the reason for the decrease in potency? Let's answer right away - not in bromine. Military service is a serious stress for the body. In order to rebuild and adapt to the new regime, great physical and psychological stress, he needs to use colossal resources.
In such conditions, severe fatigue builds up. Only thoughts about military affairs remain in my head, there is simply no time to think about extraneous things. This is due to the decrease in sex drive.
And the fathers-commanders in the Soviet army could always find something to do for a soldier. The list of options for a boring pastime was extensive: here you have outfits with drill training, and cleaning the territory of the unit, and shooting, as well as physical training and familiarization with military equipment.
The daily routine in the army is always clear and strict, and a soldier, especially a new recruit, never sits idle. After a hard day, the exhausted body asks for only one thing - rest, and certainly not love pleasures.
So, let's make a preliminary summary. Intense physical activity during the day is necessary for normal sleep at night, at the same time, it leads to a large expenditure of energy. This, in turn, causes a decrease in potency.
Could Bromine Be Good
In medicine, bromine is used in small amounts to treat nervous disorders, including insomnia. Therefore, drugs with its content are contraindicated for people whose work requires concentration and increased attention. And this is precisely what is necessary for successful military service. The military regulations and higher-ranking commanders always require concentration and attentiveness from the soldier in order to complete the assigned tasks. Will a person, after taking a sedative, be able to effectively overcome an obstacle course, control military equipment or get into the top ten in a shooting? Hardly.
That is why all the idle talk about bromine in the soldiers 'diet is nothing more than a myth, just one of the soldiers' tales. In addition, both doctors who served in military units and those who served in the kitchen deny the popular myth. The latter, after all, had direct access to food for the military, and helped the cooks with the preparation of food. And if there were indeed cases of bromine use, then it is unlikely that these people would not have told their colleagues, friends or relatives about them, especially after demobilization.
Where is the bike from
It is believed that the rumor was spread among the people by military doctors. According to some reports, their civilian colleagues in the USSR widely used bromine to calm down too violent patients in psychiatric hospitals. And in the military environment, for educational purposes, the drug was used to frighten overly active old-timers who did not know what to do with their energy.
According to another version, in the Soviet army, at one time, bromine was added to the soldiers' food. It was in the navy back in Khrushchev's time, and even then only as an experiment. Apparently, he was declared unsuccessful and information about him is still classified.
By the way, the powder was added to the soldier's food, or to be more precise, to the compote, after all. But it was not bromine, but vitamin C, which is extremely useful for health.