Figure 5. United Nations visiting group meeting with Rongelapresidents in village church, 1959.
PROCEDURES
Location of Examinations
LST Tank Deck. Whole-body gammaspectroscopy wascarried out with the 21-ton steel room
placed in the after part of the tank deck, with the
air conditioned electronics room and the shower
facility close by. The people to be examined en-
tered the ship via the forward rampdirectly onto
the tank deck, proceeded to the showerfacility
Rongelap Village.
As in 1958, the dispensary,
schoolhouse, and council house were used for the
examinations (Figure 6). Hematological and other
laboratory procedures and ophthalmologicalexaminations were carried out in the dispensary
(Figure 7). Medical histories were taken and
physical examinations were madein the schoolhouse. The council house provided areas for an
administrative center, for collection of urine samples, and for laboratory use by the University of
where they disrobed, took a complete soap and
water shower, and donned disposable paper coveralls and slippers, and then proceededto the 21-ton
steel room, where a 10-min gammaspectroscopy
Washington group.
into the steel room during the procedure. The
history during the past year. A special survey was
conducted by the pediatrician to ascertain more
accurately the birth dates of the Rongelapese, particularly the children.
Complete physical examinations were carried
out including examinations of the children for
growth and development (anthropometric measurements, and x-ray examinationsof the left wrist
count was obtained. Phonograph music was piped
people, except very young children, showed no
evidence of fear or claustrophobia and appeared
to enjoy the procedure. Further description of the
gamma spectrographic methodswill be presented
later.
The diagnostic x-ray machine was also set up in
the tank deck.
History and Physical Examinations
Histories were taken by a Marshallese practi-
tioner with particular emphasis on the interval