visual difficulties. I am not an ophthalmologist, and brought no instruments to visualize the lenses of these's people's eyes. However, I learned that on one island about fifty per cent of the population is losing its vision. This does not come to me from cne informant, but comes to me from three or four informants. One informant actually said that most of the adults were losing their vision. Sometimes it was occurring in children. This acain does not seem to be concomitant with the blast or follow shortly on it. One would expect the cataract Changes sooner if it was due to looking directly at the blasts, and I would not expect it in individuals unborn at the time of the blasts. This appears to be perhaps one of the most disabling disabilities on the island of Utrik, and if not for the apparent willingness of the island to take care of its own there would be many people on this island suffering by reason of their dimming sight. In a colder, crueler society these people would not be able to survive. The frequency of eye problems is complicated by also the notable frequency of diabetes.. Diabetes is an édequate cause of cataracts, and older diabetics may develope cataratcts. However I asked very carefully of those patients whom I saw with vistal difficulties, -- I assume they had had cataracts some hed been operated on and had Cataract removal ~- whether they were diabetic and I understand that while several were, just as many were not, and the diabetic explanation for all of the cata- racts and loss of vision does not seem credible. this seems to be a radiation effect. , Again As another radiation effect there was a period of time when there were an unusual number of stillbirths or the birth of monstrosities. I have heard this called the year of the animal, although I understand this phrase to be offensive to these women who bore such offspring and I heard the particular phrese oniy from men and not commonly used. It was the time when children were born with in- completely formed bodies, - legs, or deformed heads. incompletely formed arms This occurred late, or and not in the nine months after a near-by explosion when one would expect radiation effects. Moreover it occurred in islands distant enough so that direct radiation effects governed