- ACLS oer Derol Froman, TAD am ioe i sO _ , mes - CL Mey 20, 1954 T. L. Shipman, M. D., Health Division Leader er rir PECLASCITES y A EISENBUD REPORT CONCERNING JAPANESE FISHERMEN Hell6 : | From your coments on the above report I gather that you do not like to bave people sticking pins in your fingers. I think we realize only too voll thet you are netpalone in this feeling and it 1s one which we endeavor to respect, Providing a urine specimen is certainly not unpleasant or unm ortahle, and particularly for a patient in the hospital discomfort can only if you don't provide it. going to say that none of us in H-Division regard Eisenbud as an vidual properly qualified to pass Judgment on a mjority of the matters discussed in his memo. Furthermore, he is a definitely aggressive sort of \\parson and I would not expect that he would be the sort of individual who f puld instill confidence in the Japanese or obtain their cheerful collaboran. I beard some weaks ago that he had returned from Japan very huffy . Qeyer the fact that he bad not been allowed to sea the patients. My reaction Nea was "Why should they allow him to see the patients in view of the fect that he is not a physician?® The fact that Dr. Morton was likewise t away from the patiente does indicate a peculiar attitude on the part ~ePthe Japanese. It should be remembered, however, that the fishermen \y from the boat were distributed between three hospitals and the officials 4 of each of these hospitals would not let dostors from any of the others ST visit the patients. Undoubtedly, there were comic opera overtones. There were certain definite advantages to be gained in this situation fron iY Study of repeated blood and urine specimens, particularly when they i ‘vere grossly abnormal as was the oase here. Constantly falling white count would indicate, in the first place, a grave prognosis ani, in the second ’'place, the necessity for intensive treatment. The treatment would involve c: repeated large transfusions and the administration of antibiotics to pre~ vent subsequent infection. Following the level of the various blood con- stituents informs one aa to the course and progress of the patient's iliness, a8 well as the degree of success of the treatment provided. Unless American doctors were to be permitted to sollaborate in advising treatment, I agree that it would be little if any benefit to the patients in providing blood and urine specimens to us. The Japanese physicians, however, should have needed the same information for their own purposes. I am afraid I must say, therefore, that in my opinion obtaining repeated Blood counts fram these men vould have been of definite value both to patients and physicians (from what I have beard of the treatment which was employed, nobody gained very much). The question of studying urine specimens is a little different. Az you know, ve went dashing off in full ery after, hearing of the contamimtion of the Rongelap natives and our one f:;_ REPOSITORY Las rack, LY LA8 COLLECTION BOX No C i-/ Y ci cece 4 “> Le sh af 3 S/LID covenSIZE AlsTes BEST COPY AVAILABLE §4-16