PO ee eo ae de lebeatthemedade bbe bewe Med Beant thal le 8
were carried out on cultures of peripheral
blood leukocytes and on a limited number
of bone marrow specimens.
Recent reports indicate that following radiation, morphological changes may be detected in the chromosomes of peripheral
blood and bone marrow leukocytes, and
these abnormalities may persist for years.
Of great interest in this regard was a report
on cytogenetic studies carried out on 6 men
accidently exposed to ionizing radiation in
a reactor accident several years previously.
While these people had returned to their
usual state of health and blood findings were
normal, nevertheless, when peripheral white
cells were grown in culture for several days
and the mitotic division stopped at meta-
phase with colchicine, chromosome abnor-
malities could be detected in most of these
individuals. This important observation, that
radiation may produce detectable chromosomal changes which may last for many
years, had been previously reported by
British investigators working with patients
suffering from spondylitis who had received
heavy doses of therapeutic x-rays. Therefore,
it was of interest to note if similar changes
had been produced and were persisting 8
years following a moderately severe total
Dr. Shah, left, and Afghanistan Ambassador M.
H. Maiwandwal
AURANG SHAH, M’34, HONORED
Dy. Aurang Shah, M’34, 7194—K Street,
Sacramento, Cal., lifelong minister without
portfolig for his
native Pakhtunistan, re-
body dose of fallout radiation in normal
ceived rebognition on April 79, 1962 for his
CONCLUSION
The six weeks were well spent, and while
tuns are part of a tide im\which foreign
adults and children. About sixty peripheral effort to obtain full independence for the
blood cell cultures were obtained on Ronge- mountain peyple called the Pakhtuns. The
lap natives. Unfortunately, due to the ad- Afganistan ambassador t6 the United States,
verse conditions and high humidity many M. H. Maiwandwal, cohferred his country’s
of the chromosome preparations spread highest non milNary /decoration, the Stor
poorly and. failed to stain properly. How- (star), second degye¢, upon Dr. Shah durever, 10 specimens proved to be adequate "ing a banquet in the otel Senator attended
for limited study and in three individuals by 180 of Dr. Shgh’s\ friends, civic leaders
chromosomal changes indicative of a radia- and public officials.
tion effect were noted.
Ambassador Maiwandwal said the Pakhno apparent gross damage has been discovered in either the exposed Marshallese or
their children, with the development of more
sensitive and specialized techniques, especially those designed to detect chromosome
changes in the cells of the bone marrow
and peripheral blood, this exposed population offers a unique opportunity for cyto-
genetic investigation of the long-term effects of fallout radiation in man.
November, 1962
dominated pegples are seeking self deter-
mination and/full independence. Afghanistan and Pakistan have disputed the boundaries of the grea which Dr. Shah chims historically
has been known as Pakhhunistan,
although /the area is not recognize\ formally by other governments. Dr. Shah’s
lifelong/ mission has been to seek recognition by foreign governments and the Unitéd
Nations of the state of Pakhtunistan andits
boundaries.
33
see Ba eR act