Life Was Never the Same: The Effects of the Atomic Bomb on the Survivo

"The release of atomic energy has so changed everything that our former ways of thinking have been rendered obsolete. We therefore face catastrophe unheard of in former times. If mankind is to survive, then we need a completely new way of thinking." ~Albert Einstein Life Was Never the Same: The Effects of the Atomic Bomb on the Survivors In August of 1945, the world changed forever with the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The lives of millions were shattered in a few seconds as the bombs demolished their homes and murdered their family members. Never has one incident in history affected such a great number of people for so many years. Today, the Japanese are still feeling the effects of the dropping of the atomic bombs. With the marking of the fifty-year anniversary in 1995, the dreadful scars still remain in the bodies and the hearts of those who were present in 1945. The radiation emitted from the atomic bombs caused numerous growth disorders, many psychological and social effects along with a drastic increase in leukemia and breast cancer that affected many innocent civilians. Many scientists were interested in accessing the damage done by the atomic bombs; therefore, surveys began immediately after the bombings. Military agencies and scientists from various universities designed the first surveys. Americans felt it was necessary to investigate the effects of the atomic bomb, so President Truman established the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission in 1946. Its major goal was to obtain survey samples that reflected the actual conditions of the exposed and it was responsible for many studies including the Adult Health Study and the Life Span Study.1 The commission did not disband until 1974 ... ... Notes 1. Ishikawa, Eisei, David L. Swain, trans. The Committee for the Compilation of Materials on Damage Caused by the Atomic Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ed., Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Physical, Medical, and Social Effects of the Atomic Bombings (New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, 1981), 510-512. 2. Historical Background Relating to Relocation of the Radiation Effect Research Foundation (RERF), http://www.1amesh.ne.jp/usui-n/radiante.htm (1 November 1999). 3. Eisei, 222-230, 450-52. 4. Eisei, 14. 5. Eisei, 449. 6. Frank. W. Chinnock, Nagasaki: The Forgotten Bomb (New York: New American Library, 1969), 297. 7. Eisei, 259. 8. Radiation Effects Research Foundation, http://www.rerf.or.jp/eigo/experhp/rerfhome.htm (1 November 1999). 9. Eisei, 186-210. 10. Eisei, 489-90.