Physicians confront the apocalypse: the American medical profession and the threat of nuclear war
Physicians figured prominently in the resurgence of nuclear weapons activism and cultural awareness that swept the US in the early 1980s. This discussion seeks to place this activism in historical context. It explores the American medical profession's shifting engagement with the issue of nuclear war. Attention is focused on the period 1945 to 1954, with a brief evaluation of the period 1954 to 1963, the years to which the activism of the 1980s may be traced. Radiation studies are reviewed including Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors. Radiological studies were begun within days of Japan's surrender. The delayed effects of radiation exposure on some 14,000 persons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki include hemorrhage, leukocyte destruction, bone marrow damage, anemia, sterility, and the suppression of menstruation. In contrast, the American medical profession in the late 1940s focused much attention on the atom's potential medical benefits, especially the diagnostic and treatment value of radioisotopes. 90 references.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison
- OSTI ID:
- 6189825
- Journal Information:
- JAMA, J. Am. Med. Assoc.; (United States), Vol. 254:5
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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560151* - Radiation Effects on Animals- Man