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O:;. ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO
, Darol Froman, TAD
To
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
DATE:
rrom , 1. L, Shipman, M. D., Health Division Leader
supsect: EISENBUD REPORT CONCERNING JAPANESE FISHERMEN
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May 20, 1954
123472
SYMBOL : -H-116
From your comments on the above report I gather that you do not like to
have people sticking pins in your fingers, I think we realize only too
well that you are not alone in this feeling and it is one which we endeavor
to respect. - Providing a urine specimen is certainly not unpleasant or un
confortable, and particularly for a patient in the hospital discomfort can
arise only if you don't provide it.
;
I am going to say that none of us in H-Division regard Eisenbud as an
individual properly qualified to pass judgment on a majority of the matters
discussed in his memo. Furthermore, he is a definitely aggressive sort of
person and I would not expect that he would be the sort of individual who
would instill confidence in the Japanese or obtain their cheerful collaboration. I heard some weeks ago that he had returned from Japan very huffy
over the fact that he had not been allowed to see the patients. My reaction
to this was "Why should they allow him to see the patients in view of the
/
fact that he is not a physician?"
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Collection
Location
There were certain definite advantages to be gained in this situation from
the study of repeated blood and urine specimens, particularly when they
re grossly abnormal as was the case here. Constantly falling white count
uld indicate, in the first place, a grave prognosis and, in the second
Folder_.2¢5, 2
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The fact that Dr. Morton was likewise
kept away from the patients does indicate a peculiar attitude on the part
of the Japanese, It should be remembered, however, that the fishermen
from the boat were distributed between three hospitals and the officials
of each of these hospitals would not let doctors from any of the others
visit the patients. Undoubtedly, there were comic opera overtones.
ace, the necessity for intensive treatment.
The treatment would involve
peated large transfusions and the administration of antibiotics to prent subsequent infection. Following the level of the various blood conituents informs one as to the course and progress of the patient!s
ness, as well as the degree of success of the treatment provided,
ess American doctors were to be permitted to collaborate in advising
eatment, I agree that it would be little if any benefit to the patients
providing blood and urine specimens to us, The Japanese physicians,
however, should have needed the same information for their own purposes.
I am afraid I must say, therefore, that in my opinion obtaining repeated
blood counts from these men would have been of definite value both to
patients and physicians (from what I have heard of the treatment which
was employed, nobody gained very much). The question of studying urine
' specimens is a little different. As you know, we went dashing off in full
oryafter aaene of the contamination of the Rongelap natives and our one
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