16
their life span is shorter than chat in the continen-
tal United States.
During the interval between the survevs of 1958
and* 1959 the people of Rongelap suffered no
major epidemics. There were the usual bouts of
upper respiratoryinfections. A fewcases of chicken
pox developed tn April 1958, two of great severity,
one of which resulted in the death of a 36-year-old
man { =31) from the exposed group. During the
vear Navy evacuation planes removed these two
cases to Kwajalein Hospital (150 miles away) for
treatment, and also the following cases: perforated
appendix, threatened abortion, retained placenta,
complicated delivery, pyelonephritis, and acute
diarrhea. Three of these patients were in the exposed group. Fourcases of fish poisoning occurred
During the interval between the 1959 and 1960
surveys the medical history of the people on Ron-
gelap Island was generally uneventful. However.
an epidemic of influenza occurred in the Marshall
fslands in the spring of 1960. and, though Rongeiap Atoll was spared, the epidemic reached serious
proportions on Kwajalein Atoll. About 20 of the
unexposed Rongelap control population had pre-
viously moved to Kwajalein Atoll for employment
by the Navy, and among this group 10 cases of
influenza developed, two of which became com-
plicated by pneumonia resulting in death - one in
a 35-year-old man (=933) and the other in a 64year-old man ( =927). Both these men had complicating diseases prior to influenza; one had suf-
fered a cerebral hemorrhage with hemiplegiaseveral months earlier, and the other a urinary tract
infection. The 61-year-old woman with cancer of
the ovary, discovered in 1958, died in May 1959.
Unfortunately, no autopsies were obtained on
these people. This brings the deaths to four for
the exposed population. Oneother death occurred
during the year with the usual symptomsof nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, double vision, and
uungling sensations in the limbs. Cancer of the
ovary was found in a 61-year-old woman in the
infection complicating diabetes. The deaths in the
by biopsy.
one case of fish poisoning occurred in 1959 on
exposed group, and the diagnosis was confirmed
tn the unexposed control population on Rongglap,
that of a 3+-year-old woman ( 4854) whodied of
1
€:
AD
ane
posed groupsseempared with that for the Marshall Isiands asawhole in 1948-50 and for the
United States in 1940. The table also shows the
median ages. The lower median age of the Marshailese would seem to support the impression that
é
4
unexposed population now number four. Only
Table 3
Yearly Incidence of Births and Fetal Deaths*
Year
Women aged
14-45
Total
pregnancies
Children
—_——_-—_M
F
Live
births
Miscarriages*
% Pregnancies
terminating in
miscarriage
Exposed
1954**
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
19
20
20
2k
22
22
Total
|
6
6
3
14
5
0
5
4
2
8
5
0
4
0
2
4
2
0
I
+
0
4
3
I
i
2
3
- 6
0
ioo
17
33
60
43
0
37
24
12
12
13
l
42
29
l
+
1
l
25
Li
Unexposed
1956
18
1958
1959
18
17
1957
18
Total
8
8
4
6
26
i
6 “y
5
6 *
3
5
20
*Includes children dying during first few hours after birth.
**Includes only children conceived after March 1, 1954.
L1855bb
2
4
10
10
2
1 -
"2
6
25
¢