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of injury and the clinical manifestations are ~roportionate to the dose,
is particularly true of the symdromes of whole body radiation.
I repeat, highly dependent on doseand time after exposure,
description,
This
The latter is and
There 4s no simple
The problem is subtle and complex and one must always bear dose and
time in mind.
THE SYNDROMES FRCM TOTAL BODY PENETRATING RADIATIONS
The dose dependent syndromes resulting from total body exposure in the
mammal have been described in detail and I shall only simmarize them here.
further details one is referred to the following references (1-12).
For
After
large doses (approximately 6000 r or nore) the central nervous system syndrome
wiich can be abbreviated CNS is produced.
being irradiated or after some hours.
Death may occur under the beam while
“he clinical picture is characterized by
hyperexcitability, disorders of equilibriun, incoordination, respiretory distress
and intermittent stupor.
Convulsions may preceed death.
this syndrome are elways uniformly fatal.
Doses capable of producing
If an occasional animal, and presumably
man, survives this CNS he has yet to experience the gastrointestinal syndrome (GIS),
which when produced by doses in excess of 1500 r is always fatal within three to
nine days for mammals,
laboratory animals.
Presumably man also will respond in a comparable manner es
The GIS is so named because of the marked nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, and denudation of the lining of the small bowel.
fatal syndrome in most laboratory animals.
The GIS is a uniformly
If the short duration GIS of a few hours
resulting from lower doses, does not produce the three to nine day death, the survivors of this syndrome have yet to experience the sequelae of bone marrow depression
which has been termed the hemopoietic syndrome (HS).
The HS 4s not necessarily fatal.
It is the clinical -icture that is seen in the lethal range for all mammals and in
general the 50% lethal dose values reported, represent the Lp? for the sequela of
hemopoietic depression ~ namely granulocytopenia, depressed defenses ageinst infection, -thrombopenia, and anenia with the pcssible resulting infections, diffuse pur-