Honolulu. It consists of a reef dotted with
nearly 100 small coral islands, surrounding
a lagoon which is 66 miles long and 20
miles wide. Kwajalein Island, 242 miles
long and less than one-half mile wide, is the
largest in the atoll and occupies the southern end of the lagoon. During World War
Il this was an important and heavily defended Japanese air and sea base. In February
1944, it was the scene of a bitter struggle
which ended with the complete devastation
of the island and the annihilation of the Japanese defenders by the U. S. Navy and the
U. S. 7th Army Division. Now Kwajalein
was a beehive of activity with Navy, Army,
Air Force as well as civilian space and
missile personne] crowding the relatively
small island. Facilities were typically of a
military character with the post exchange,
baracks, mess halls and clubs for officers
and other ranks.
The Kwajalein Hospital, formerly a Naval
Station Hospital but now maintained by
the civilian agencies engaged in the missile
program, placed examining rooms and other facilities at our disposal. This greatly
aided the program and enabled us to per-
form fairly complete examinations; includ-
ing an opthalmological study, physical ex-
aminations with rectal and pelvic examina-
tion, Pap smear and chest x-ray.
Routine
laboratory work consisted of hemoglobin,
hematocrit, red cell. white cell and platelet
counts as well as reticulocytes and differentials. Various other studies were carried out
including serum proteins, B12 andfolic acid
levels. Serum was also obtained and preserved in a frozen state for other determinations. Individuals who had received radiation burns were of special concern, and
these cases were re-examined by Dr. Conard and photographs taken. Actually only
the slightest residual scars could be found,
even in the most severely burned cases.
NATIVES
The natives proved to be a very pleasant
and cooperative people. Of Micronesian
stock, most Marshallese are dark skinned,
of slight build and with regular Caucasian
features. In spite of an extremely low per
capita income which permits only the poor-
Following the thermonuclear explosion
in 1954, many Marshallese were relocated
and some Rongelap people remained on
Ebeye, an islet a few miles away from Kwajalein. These individuals, along with other
displaced natives, were employed on Kwa-
jalein in the laundries, clubs, barber shops,
and numerous other facilities necessary for
_ such an operation. Therefore, during the
last week of February, examinations, labo-
ratory studies and chest x-rays were obtained on exposed individuals and a group
of unexposed controls, matched by age and
sex. Histories were obtained by the Englishspeaking Marshallese practitioners, and I
carried out most of the physical examinations.
people were a relatively healthy and happy
lot. Few native customs survive and since
the war and the development of the missile
bases many Marshallese find employment
on Kwajalein and have developed a taste
for American food, clothing and our way of
life.
On Ebeye the Trust Territory has been
trying to improve the miserable living conditions of the natives. A new hospital had
just been completed and while small and
modest by our standards, it represented a
great addition to the welfare of the Marshallese on Ebeye. Other natives recently
dispossessed because of the use of atolls
for the missile range, have also been settled
on Ebeye. A visit to this tiny island proved
to be a depressing experience. The crowded
squalid huts, poor sanitary conditions, inTufts Medical Alumni Bulletin
ee
est living quarters and a restricted diet, the
EBEYE
28
STUDIES AT KWAJALEIN HOSPITAL
Senn te
plane flashed closely past the intricate complex of radar, computer and control stations
of the missile pad which could be seen extending further out into the lagoon. After
a security briefing we proceeded with our
hand baggage across the street to our quarters. We had arrived on Kwajalein, the base
of our operations for the next five weeks
and the source of vital stores and equipment
for our trips to Rongelap and otherislands.
Kwajalein Atoll, the largest in the world,
lies in mid-Pacific about 2400 miles west of