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During the past survey the differential counts showed eosinophilia above 35% in
about half of the people of both groups.
6. Hematocrit

Erythropoietic activity as evidenced by hematocrit readings has not shown any

remarkable change since exposure. The values have been consistently on the low
side of normal, according to American standards, particularly in the females in both

exposed and unexposed people. The hematocrit readings after + years were about
the same as found at 3 years and about equal to the comparison populationlevel.
B. Prysican Finpincs
1. Diseases
There have been no diseases, infectious or noninfectious, that could be related
to irradiation effects. No antibiotics, blood transfusions, or other specific therapy
has been used either prophylactically or therapeutically in the Marshallese, even

during the acute period when maximum depression of the blood elements was

noted. The incidence of diseases in both the exposed and comparison populations
has been about the same. Even when leukocyte depression was greatest (the levels
reaching about half of the levels of the comparison population at about 5 to 6 weeks
postexposure) there was apparently no increased susceptibility to infection. An
epidemic of upper respiratory infection that occurred at this time showed no greater
incidence or severity in the exposed people compared to the unexposed. There was
no bleeding associated with a maximum depression of platelets (11 individuals had
platelet counts between 35,000 and 65,000). The people have since sustained epidemics of measles, chicken pox, upper respiratory infections, and gastroenteritis
without untoward reactions. A limited study of the immune response at 3 years
postexposure showed that the antibody response to tetanus toxoid antigenic stimulus was not significantly different in the exposed and unexposed people at that
time. During the past year 5 exposed children and 1 unexposed child presumably
had infectious hepatitis. No other serious illnesses were reported.
Three deaths have occurred in the exposed people. Thefirst. was in a 46-year-old
man who died of hypertensive heart disease 1 year postexposure. He had had the
disease at the time of irradiation. The second death occurred in a 78-year-old man
at 2 years postexposure. He was a diabetic of long standing and died apparently
of coronary heart disease. A third death occurred in April, 1958, in a 38-year-old
mun. (He was in the group that received 69 r.) Death was due to pneumonia complicating a severe case of chicken pox. In none of these cases was there any evidence
that death was due to irradiation exposure.
2. Growth and Development Studies
Data on height and weight and bone age determinations for the 2- and 3-year
surveys gave an impression of lag in growth and development in the exposed

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