ore
\
7. The medical group arrived in Kwajalein on 8 March. It consisted
of military and civilian medical officers and technicians from the Naval
Medical Research Institute, the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project and
the U. S. Bawal Radiological Defense Laboratory and was established as
Prejeet 4.1, 70 13 of Task Group 7.1 with Commander BE, P. Cronkite, K,
USN, as Project Officer. Drs. G. V. Leroy and C. L. Dunham represented
the Division of Biolcgy and Medicine, AEC, and were to act as advisors to
Project &.1. A systematic organization was set up with a view tovard mn
ning a sick call, performing blood studies, taking histories, making physical examinations ani documenting the cases by means of records and photo=
grapty. Buildings were furnished for these purposes by COMNAVSTAKRAJ and
his Staticn Saurgecn, Commander W. J. Hall, worked closely with the grap.
The establisheernt of the investigating group of Project 4.1 was essential
and desirable from several standpoints. All the redical personnel were experienced in the field of atomic medicine having been participants in pre=
vicas testing using biological caterial as well as having had full time
research projects along this line during interim periods.
This allows for
proper evalcation of human effects toward correlaticn with cata on acimals
from which a great deal of cur ideas on busan effects have been extrapola-
ted. Purther, thay constituted an augmentation medical group for treatment
‘Lf necessary in conjunction with station medical facilities, dn additional
advantage was that alaost all of the personnel had worked together as a uit
on previoas occasions.
8.
Hcne of the natives nor the Eongerik Americans had prel{minary or
early a¥steric ayurtons consistent with radiation sickness from large dosage of external whole body irradiation. A reported case of vomiting and
a few cases of loss of appetite were noc significant considering the sudden
charge in environment and diet to which they were subjected. fo relieve
the load on the station medical facilities, not knowing of the early arm
Fival of the medical group, the twenty eight Americans were returned to
Enivetok to remain as ovtpatierts under the supervision of the Surgeon,
sasx Group 7.2. Hlood counts were taken at approximately three day interwals. They remained asymptomatic although there began a depression of the
white blood cells of mild degree.
They were returned to Kwajalein a 17
March. During the early days of March all patients remained free of sye-tecde symptoms attibutable to irradiation but there was a definite de
crease in the white tbed cel] count more carked in the Rongelap group.
The blood pictares of the Ailingizae natives and the Rongerik Americans
were cuite similar which was reesorable considering they were exposed to
the same order of magnitude of radiation. The Utirik group showed nothing
particular Spt a oedical standpoint and were considered as a virtually
normal native population for cempariscn purposes pending time for ob=
taining base
data from non irradiated natives.
By the thirteenth and fourteenth day a tendency to epilate
had become evident in the Rongelap natives involving mostly children tit
within a few days it had arpeared in adults. The epilation was both patchy
and diffuse, confined mostly to the head and particularly in children the
scalp assumed a spotty appearance due to depignentation of the skin.
Cean
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