Detroit evening times., 1945-03-20
ROAD
TO TOKYO
BY James R.
Young
DICTURE a town of 1000 peo-

DICTURE town OF 1000 peo-
pie. Overnight these men.
women and children are moved
TO a walled 30-acre village OF
10 buildings. Each person is
allocsted 80 square feet of floor
space.
They have no cooking utensils,
hardly any clothes. few cakes
of soap, no ether or drugs, and
few surgical instruments.
They are to live in this area
for three years.
Such was Santo Tomas Uni
verSity campus AT Manila.
The first inside story of the
attendant medical problems and
nutritlonal disorders is passed
on to me by DR.. Frank F.. Whit
acre. now of the University of
Tennessee College of Medicine. )
and formerly a surgeon in the
Manila civilian lnternment
DR.. Whitacre had left Pc
king, China, and was en- route
home when he was caught At
Manila. During hlS internment
he was called in emergency
cases to attend Filipinos. on
one occasion, when he was
taken under guard 10 the Ma
Mia Hotel, he saw Prime Min
iSter Gen. Hedeki TOTO who had
arrived by plane from Tokyo TO
attend the puppet independence
ceremonies of the Quisling Fill
pino government.
LIVERY one bowed 10 TOTO.
~ TOTO. DR.. Whitacre noted
from secluded position. left
the kissing. bowling gathering
and crossed the lobby 10 an
aged and scholarly-looking Japa-
nese.
This time, Toio bowed.
The obeiSanCe was 10 a world
famed scientist. Dr. s. Hattai.
In telling me Of this incident.
DR.. Whitacre was unaware that
DR.. Hattai'S son was a graduate
OF the University Of Pennsyl-
vania who had returned 10
Tokyo and was working last /
saw him, as reporter on the
English language newspaper.
The Japan Times.
Tojo'S visit 10 Manila brought
about pitlful situation. About
1000 sick and elderly Ameri-
cans had left Santo Tomas.
Inadequate food and medicines,
coupled with indiferences TO
their plight (the Japanese
would not furnish cotS), forced
the old folks 10 60 anywhere
they could find a place outside,
If they could be self-supporting.
Razor TOTO, as newspaper
men nicknamed him. seeing
some Of the aged Americans in
Manila. ordered them back into
the camp. which was already
overcroWded.
THE new housing botleneck
l. forced the moving of 500
young and middle-aged men 10
Los Banos, 40 miles from Santo
Tomas University.
The first epidemic of any pro-
portion was enteritiS, followed
by amebic dysentery. One day,
DR.. Whitacre recalls. an offlcious
Jap major in Tojo's medical scrV-
ice became rude. blaming the
hospital director for the wave of
enteric conditions.
Constant fear beClouded the
camp for the welfare of 30O-odd
children. Milk supplies were re-
served for those from 2 10 II
years old.
Vitamin deficiencies multi
piled as internment continued
because of lack of Bl, which
caused difficulty in focusing
the eyes Diabetes and ulcer
cases were recorded.
THE most depressing situa-
Il ton. DR.. Whitacre relates.
was the mental retardation
VIII ich accompanied confine-
ment. After many months of
internment. mental deteriora-
ton affected moderate num-
Der of persons.
Most exciting Of DR.. Whit
acres m any experiences was
being called one night to at
tend a wounded Filipino who
had four bullet holes IN his
chest. After treating the man
he was informed the mysteri-
Gus patient was Jose p. Laurel,
puppet president of the Philip
pines who had been shot at by
LoyaliSts. Laurel still gets
about with the wounds and
probably is in hiding now in
the mountain resort area of
Baguio. where our forces are
fighting this week.
Two of the japanese civilian
camp commanders were gradu-
ates of American universities.
One was a Harvard man and
the other a Princeton graduate.
They approved the unreasonable
sentence inflicted on a husband
in the camp of 90 days in Jail
for causing his wife TO be preg-
ntt