, 2 to each person differed deis cabin. "I was inferred as about 20 to y in the thyroid region during found in the urine samples The radioactivity decreased m the activity in the urine was om the fatal case showed that rs when compared with the IMURA et al., 1956). ‘x content in the urine of the the same time the results cf rence between fishermen and Hematological Effects on Heavily Irradiated Japanese Fishermen HEMATOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS l. Leukocytes The total number of leukocytes decreased gradually, showing minimum counts at about the 4th to 8th week after the exposure. In one case, the leukocyte level was depressed to 800. A correlation was found between these minimum counts and the doses of individual external irradiation. Similar relationship was found between minimum counts of neutrophils and the dose as shown in Figure 2. 2500 = 2000 - 3 1500 : 3 ns in the early stage. Five cases revealed a count of less than 2,000/mm3, 13 less than 3,000, and 5 less than 4,000. 1y an impotant role in early EARLY STAGE 67 Fig. 2 Correlation between the estimated dosesto the whole body and the minimal number of neutrophils. . = 1000 5 °° ste "e 500 dose of lst day 70 dose during 2weeks 100 e 130 200 190 300 : 7 * 250 400 310 500 ° . 370 600 430 700 490 800 R R In most cases a shift to the left of the neutrophils was observed. Staff cells increased in early stage and then gradually decreased. However, in some cases, metamyelocytes and myelocytes appeared in peripheral blood especially with the begin of recovery. In a fatal case who died of liver damage, a considerable number of juvenile neutrophils were observed at the end stage. Lymphopenia was noted between the 2nd and 8th week in all cases. Leukocyte count began to increase after the 8th week. In manyeases eosinophilia was remarkable, especially with the indication cf recovery. Eosinophilia continued in somecases for several years without proof of parasites, and one case still revealed slight eosinophilia in the 1968 survey. 2. Erythrocytes At the time of hospitalization a few patients were anemic. Noreticulocyte was observed in them at the critical stage. Color index was higher than 1. 0. The Price-Jones curves of erythrocyte diameter were displaced to the right of normalat first, and returned to almost normal after one year. These changes corrseponded to changes of erythroblast diameters in bone marrow. 3. Platelets, ete. Platelet counts decreased, reaching a minimum in the 4th to 7th week. Most of the fishermen revealed the values below 100,000/mm': Fig. 1 Symptons arid Sign s in the early stage. The results of other tests related to hemorrhage showed depression at the critical stage in general and recovered by the 10th week. 4, Comparison with Other Irradiated Cases When these blood changes are compared with the changesof other irradiated