Evening star., 1948-04-07
Stars, Men and Atoms
Doctors Receive Primer
Of Atomic information
Medical Society Alerts Members on
Duties With Explosion
By Thomas r. Henry

By Thomas r. Hsnyv
In case of an atomic bomb explosion over
an American city there would be little enough
that doctors could do for the immediate
victims.
Their services would be invaluable, however,
as emergency public health officers. provided
problems involved
The American Medical Associations primer
of atomic information, being distributed widely
throughout its membership, is intended to alert
them to their duties and provide . basis for
further study.
Primer Questions.
Primer questions dealing with this puhlis
health function follow:
@. II your city were devastated by an
atomic bomb: What would you do for water
supply? Should procedure In the sewage dis
posal plant be modifieda Should stored food
be thrown away? What equipment would you
need in making q tour Of inspection?
A. The water would be unsafe. The sewage
would be radioactive and probably could not
be decontaminated. Stored foods could be
tested by means OF counting devices, and
could be salvaged II found inactive. Inspectors
visiting affected areas would need portable
counting devices, would wear shoes, mask.
garments and gloves made Of rubber impreg-
mated with lead, and would require goggles
Of lead-containing glass.
Q. Which of the following are best for
screening against gamma rays: Lead, parafnn,
sugar, water. iron. copper9
A. Lead is best for stopping gamma rays;
iron and copper would be next best.
@. Which Of the aforementioned six sub
stances are best for screening against neutron
radiation?
A. The metals do not stop neutrons. They
are best stopped by compounds Of the lighter
elements. Paraffn, sugar and water are COM
pounds of hydrogen and would be best for
stopping neutrons.
@. Which Of the following substances.
whose melting points in degrees centigrade
are given would melt at the temperature Of
the atom bomb; Aluminium 659; copper, 1888;
iron, $780, silicon dioxide 1,710 molybdenum,
1855; tungsten, 3.4002
A. All these metals would be melted II
close enough to the million degree center Of
the explosion.
Most Likely Symptoms.
@. Which five Of the following eight symp-
toms are most lkeley to be seen in cases Of
radiation sickness: Epistaxis. epilation, ano-
rexia, erythema, emesis hypertrichosis, poly
phagia, fever?
A. Epistaxis (nose bleed Is not listed as .
characteristic symptom. Instead Of polyphagia
abnormal hunger) there is anorexia Qoss Of
appetite) and instead Of hypertr1chosis growth
of hair) there is epilation Gloss OF hair).
Erythema (reddening of the skim, fever and
emesis (vomiting) are symptoms given a.
characteristic.
@. Is it possible to administer enough Of
q radioactive isotope to an animal to permit
studies of metabolism without causing radia-
ton sickness3
A. With tracer concentrations ordinarily
employed there do not appear to be appre-
ciable physiological effects.
Biological Effects.
@. Does neutron radiation have biological
effects?
A. Neutron radiation has qualitatively the
same effects on living things as do other
ionizing radiations. a'oT
@. Can person protected from the inns-
date heat and blast Of an atomic explosion
nevertheless receive fatal amounts Of neutron,
beta and gamma radiation2 x 81.
A. Yes.
@. Does such fatal intensity of radiation
necessarily have an immediate effect on the
senses?
A. No.