BOMBS AT BIKINI 



Their answer was soon forthcoming. By combining 

 what had been learned in Japan with the added infor- 

 mation garnered at Bikini, a fairly complete under- 

 standing w^as arrived at. 



The answer was a triple one: gamma radiation 

 reduces the supply of new^ white blood corpuscles, it 

 reduces the supply of new red corpuscles, and it reduces 

 the supply of materials necessary to prevent excessive 

 bleeding. 



The most important eifect is the reduction of the 

 supply of white blood corpuscles. A very severe dose 

 of gamma radiation completely destroys the bone 

 marrow's ability to produce white blood corpuscles; 

 no new white corpuscles are produced. This would per- 

 haps not be serious if the existing white corpuscles 

 could last indefinitely. But they do not : in the natural 

 course of events most of them disappear in about two 

 weeks. Their absence is serious since the body depends 

 on them to destroy infections. With no white blood 

 corpuscles, the body is easily overpowered by any of 

 the common infections threatening from within or 

 without. 



Red blood corpuscles, too, are a product of bone 

 marrow. They too face extinction when a large dose 

 of gamma radiation aifects the bone marrow. Exist- 

 ing red blood corpuscles may carry on for a month or 

 more, but eventually there are few left ; the anemia is 

 serious. 



42 



