The CIA wanted to know if they could make Soviet spies defect against their will and whether the Soviets could do the same to the CIA's own operatives.

Another technique investigated was the intravenous administration of a barbiturate into one arm and an amphetamine into the other.[71] The barbiturates were released into the person first, and as soon as the person began to fall asleep, the amphetamines were released.

Leprosy does not cause body parts to drop off, despite some people affected by leprosy missing fingers, toes or limbs. The loss of body parts is due to infection in injuries caused by lack of sensation in the hands and feet. People often do not realise how bad an injury is because they cannot feel pain, which may then lead to it getting infected. This sometimes results in people having to have limbs, fingers or toes amputated to stop more serious infection.