Role of the Radiologist in Atomic Attack

Format is approximately 7.75 inches by 10.5 inches. Pages 234-241. Figures. References. Summary in Spanish at the end. Soiling and marks to front page. Ink mark on page 240. Small tear at bottom of first page at spine. The authors were associated with the School of Medicine of the University of California at Los Angeles. The information was presented at the Thirty-eighth Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, held in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dec. 7-12, 1952. Andrew Dowdy (b.1904) was the chairman and professor of the Department of Radiology, and one of the five original founders of the School of Medicine at the UCLA. Justin I. Stein was a Professor working in Dr. Dowdy's department. Dr. Bellamy served as a monitor of radiological safety in Operation Crossroads at Bikini (1946). He developed a consuming interest in the biological effects of radiation and the mechanisms of atomic bomb radioactive fallout transport in soil, plants, and animals. As division chief of environmental radiation effects of the UCLA Atomic Energy Project, he designed and led the field studies after the atom bomb tests in Nevada from 1948 to 1950. These findings have continued to have great impact on the rapidly developing interest in the ecological effects of contamination with radioactive isotopes. Stafford Leak Warren (July 19, 1896 - July 26, 1981) was an American physician and radiologist who was a pioneer in the field of nuclear medicine and best known for his invention of the mammogram. Warren was appointed Chief of the Medical Section of the Manhattan Engineering District. He was responsible for the health and safety of the thousands of personnel involved in the Manhattan Project. He was present at the Trinity nuclear test in Alamogordo, New Mexico where he was responsible for the safety aspects of the detonation of the world's first nuclear weapon. He led a survey team from the Manhattan Project to assess the effects of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1946 he was Chief of the Radiological Safety Section of the Joint Task Force for Operation Crossroads, the nuclear test at Bikini Atoll. In view of great advances made in new weapons of war, the position of the radiologist is rapidly becoming more important. Because of his general medical training, supplemented by his knowledge of radioactive materials and of their inherent dangers, he will be of invaluable aid to both the military and civilian population. For some time one of us (S.L.W.) has been advocating the necessity of a well organized radiological defense program for California. Shortly after the initial attack in Korea, Governor Earl Warren of this state took an active part in mobilizing civilian personnel into a well organized civil defense organization. In the beginning, radiological defense was placed under medical control, as a part of the medical plan. It was soon realized, however, that an effective radiological defense program would of necessity have to be large in personnel, that it would require specialized training plans and equipment, and would best function as a separate entity apart from medical activities. In an actual or potential atomic conflict an understanding of both the immediate and long-range implications of atomic warfare in all its aspects is required. An organization capable of coping with such a disaster must be developed. Trained personnel and instruments essential to the detection and measurement of radioactivity and the rapid radiological assay of food, water, and air must be provided. Plans must be made for the rapid assembly and evaluation of information regarding personnel and exposures to radiation and decontamination during the acute phases of the disaster. Also the potential long-range hazards will be of great importance. It can probably be assumed that radiation injury will account for approximately 15 to 20 per cent of casualties from an air explosion of an atomic bomb. The remaining 80 to 85 per cent will be made up of bu.