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 3