17
Table 5
Summary of Physical Findings in Children
_
Chronic impetigo (active)
Molluscum contagiosum
Tinea versicolor
Tinea cruris
Chronic otitis media
Acute otitis media
Palpable liver (over 3 cm)
Adenopathy
Cheilosis
Warts
Vitiligo
Furuncle
Rash
Exposed (26)*
8
0
0
1
0
0
l
2
0
3
L
0
0
Exposed
Nonexposed
of exposed
parents (24)
<6 years(38)
>6years(50)
Majuro (12)
1
0
0
0
0
I
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
0
0
2?
4
I
4
0
1
0
0
0
7
2
0
G
4
2
0
6
2
4
0
2
2
3
2
0
0
0
2
0
2
1
3
1
0
0
3
)
l
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
inutero(4)
Nonexposed Rongelap
Nonexposed
*Numberexamined.
For the Rongelap population a table of most
probable birth dates was eventually worked out.
Although a few inconsistencies and uncertainties
still persisted, these dates of birth were considered
to be best estimates and were used in calculating
(3) children born to mothers who were pregnant
when exposedto fallout (exposed in utero group),
(4) children born subsequent to I January 1955 to
parents one or both of whom were exposedtofall-
the ages of the children for the analyses. Biologic
out (exposed parents group), (5) children born
subsequent to 1 January 1955 to parents neither
iv group was carefully checked, and physiologic
for exposed parents group).
compatibility of the birth dates within each fami-
compatibility of status and age for each child was
examined.
With the establishment of a presumptive date
of birth for each child, analysis of the growth and
development data was undertaken. Anthropometric data obtained during 1958, 1959, 1960, and
1961 were used in the initial analysis.* Growth
data from examinations prior to 1958 had been
collected by several different observers, and this
earlier material will be tabulated and analyzed in
a subsequentstudy. Although a numberofphysical and physiological parameters were measured,
the present analysis was limited to stature, weight,
and skeletal age. In the very young age groups
head circumference data werealso evaluated.
The study population was divided into 5 groups:
(1) children born before the fallout and living on
Rongelap at the timeoffallout (exposed group),
(2) children born before the fallout but not living
on Rongelap at the time of fallout (control group),
*The present pediatrician (W.W.S.) actively participated in
each of these surveys except the one in 1960.
of whom were exposed to fallout (control group
Because someo! the distributions encountered in
these data did not zrossly approximate normalityor
even symmetryofdistribution, and because many
of the groups were too small to justify making any
assumptions about the parametersof the popuiatons from which the samples were drawn(and in
many instances too small to permit calculations of
any meaningful measureofvariability ), all analysis
of data was done by nonparametric statistical
methods.* All measures of central tendency men-
tioned were medians, andall graphic presentations
comparing groups wereplotted in terms of medians
of the groups. Any descriptive differences between
groups mentioned were differences between medians. All tests for significance of differences between
groups, unless otherwise specified, utilized the
Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance.°
Because the comparisonsof skeletal ages and
chronological ages involved related distributions,
the Walsh test’® and the Wilcoxon matched-pairs
*Weare grateful to Dr. Kenneth Griffith of the M.D. Anderson
Hospital, Houston, Texas, for carrying out thestatistical analysis.