The Gatling Gun: A Doctor's Deadly CureA weapon designed to prevent deaths from disease.

From the show

The Secret Life of Objects

The Gatling gun was born from a doctor's desire to save lives during the American Civil War. Dr. Richard Gatling believed that a rapid-fire weapon would allow armies to shrink, reducing the spread of lethal illnesses in crowded camps. His invention, one of the first successful machine guns, was intended to make war less deadly. Instead, it industrialized combat and gave humanity a more efficient way to kill, leading to staggering casualties in future conflicts.