Evening star., 1954-10-11
Is Humanity Destroying
Itself With A-Bombs?
Rudiouctivity's Effect
On Germ PIusm Is Cited
By Thomos R. Henry

Dy nOmoS n. nenTy
Is the human race committing slow
but sure suicide with uranium and
hydrogen bombs?
This hitherto almost neglected phase
of atomic fission and fusion-perhaps
constituting far more serious threat
than that of any degree Of material
destruction yet imagined-now Is being
stressed for the first time by experts on
genetics all over the world.
The latest repercussion is an open
letter from the Japanese Society for
Study of Organic Evolution to biolo-
gists all over the world, and especially
in the United States, just made public
by the American Association for the
Advancement Of Science.
Warns of Destruction.
The open letter, signed by DR.. Ichiro
Hayasake, of Hokkaido University. presi-
dent of the society, warns Of "the de-
struction Of human society" 1t has
even been predicted that man may
eliminate himself in little more than
a century. The Japanese letter follows
closely communications from Prof. A. H.
Sturtevant of the California Institute Of
Technology, one of this countrys FORE
most geneticists. and DR.. E. D. Adrian,
president Of the British Royal Society.
The phase which has gone almost un-
recognized, all these stress, is the con-
slant building up of the residual radio
activity Of the earth with an inevitable
great and progressive increase of hui
man mutations" to be passed on for
ever in the germ plasm of the species.
Only about one in thousand of these
is likely to be beneficial.
Some will result in freaks" inca
pable of reproducing themselves, such
as two-headed babies and congenital
idiots. These, per Sc, are of little Inn
portance genetically. The freaks usual
ly are incapable Of reproduction and
hence represent the ends Of their lines.
The real danger, 1t is stressed. comes
from less obvious defects which do not
interfere with reproduction and which
will be passed on building up in num-
bers of complexity all the time and
constantly weakening the mental and
physical status Of the race. Animals
and plants. Of course, will be subjected
to the same process.
Compared with this creeping suicide
of life itself, constantly gathering
momentum, the prospect of possibly
killing few hundreds of millions in
a hydrogen-bomb war is of minor
significance. The victims would be re-
placed in few generations, at the
most. There can be no recovery from
injury to germ plasm.
Far-Reaching Effects.
Bombs exploded experimentally in
Russia, DR.. Sturtevant pointed out, do
just as much damage to primitive
tribes in Chaco jungles as to Russians.
American bombs do equal damage to
Americans, Russians and South Sea
Islanders. Once the atomic poison is
put into the air, sea and earth much
of it remains there forever.
DR.. Hayasaka's letter to the geneti-
cists of the world says:
1T is our duty to transmit the
chromosomes received from our an
cestors without a bit of injury. Since
the last war, or more precisely since
the fall of the atomic bomb, biologists
are making progress in their thought
that biological science cannot be sep
arabic from the ethics concerning the
evolution of human society. For fur
ther proper evolution one needs no
more Hiroshimas, no more Nagasakis.
You know well the price we paid
was more than enough. 1t is to be re-
gretted however, that much more costly
prices have been forced to be paid
again and again in such time Of
peace as this. The air Of the stratos-
phere has been filled with radioactive
dusts that will fall on the ground with
rain, wind and snow. The waters Of the
tropical Pacific Ocean have been con-
taminated with molecules emitting
ionizing radiationS. These radiations
have inflicted and will continue to in
f1ict direct and indirect injuries upon
mankind.
1T is time to appeal for the abey-
ance of attempts of such tremendous
destruction. We hope that you, the
Western evolutio1ists, would take the
leadership of this appeal, because you
are the men most conscious Of the de-
structive influence due to the radiation
upon life on the earth"