L6

posed groups»eempared with that for the Mar-

During the interval between the 1959 and 1960
surveys the medical history of the people on Rongelap Island was generally uneventful. However,
an epidemic of influenza occurred in the Marshall

shall Islands asawhole in 1948-50 and for the

United States in 1940. The table also shows the
median ages. The lower median age of the Marshallese would seem to support the impression that
their life span is shorter than that in the continental United States.

Islands in the spring of 1960, and, though Ronge-

lap Atoll was spared. the epidemic reachedserious
proportions on Kwajalein Atoll. About 20 of the

During the interval between the survevs of 1958
anc? 1939 the people of Rongelap suffered no

major epidemics. There were the usual bouts of

unexposed Rongelap control population had previously moved to Kwajalein Atoll for employment
by the Navy, and among this group 10 cases of

pox developed in April 1958. two of great severity,

plicated by pneumonia resulting in death - one in

man (31) from the exposed group. During the

a 33-year-old man (+933) and the other in a 64year-old man (=927). Both these men had com-

treatment, and also the following cases: perforated

fered a cerebral hemorrhage with hemiplegia several months earlier, and the other a urinary tract

upper respiratory infections. A few cases of chicken

influenza developed, two of which became com-

one of which resulted in the death of a 36-vear-old

complicated deliverv; pyelonephritis, and acute

diarrhea. Three of these patients were in the exposed group. Fourcases of fish poisoning occurred
during the year with the usual symptomsof nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, double vision, and

tingling sensations in the limbs. Cancer of the
ovary was found in a 61-vear-old woman in the
exposed group, and the diagnosis was confirmed
by biopsy.

infection, The 61-year-old woman with cancerof

the ovary, discovered in 1958, died in May 1959.
Untortunately, no autopsies were obtained on
these people. This brings the deaths to four for
the exposed population. One other death occurred
in the unexposed control population on Rongelap,
that of a 54-year-old woman (854) who died of

infection complicating diabetes. The deaths in the

unexposed population now number four. Only
one case of fish poisoning occurred in 1959 on

Table 3

Yearly Incidence of Births and Fetal Deaths*

Year

Women aged
14-45

Total
pregnancies

Children
—_Mf
F

Live
births

Miscarriages*

% Pregnancies
terminating in
miscarriage

Exposed
1954**

19

}

1955
1956
195?

20
20
FI

5
6
3

1958

22

1959

22

Total

1956
1957
1958
1959

Total

18
18

ta
17

0

0)

0

I

100

5

43

3
4
2

4
)
2

I
4
0

i4

8

3

+

3

0

37

24

12

12

13

4

2
2
|
1

25
17

6

.

5

8
8

+
6

26

|

5

2

Unexposed
=
i

6,
6 *

5
2

3
3

2
|

l
4

20

10

10

*Includes children dying during first few hours after birth.
**Includes only children conceived after March 1, 1954.

1
2
3

17
33
60
0

25
25

1

mee,

appendix, threatened abortion, retained placenta,

plicating diseases prior to influenza; one had suf-

A

AR nag| ~ ow

year Navy evacuation planes removed these two
cases to Kwajalein Hospital (150 miles away) for

Select target paragraph3