History of the Medical Program of the Manhattan District

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Thin rolum prercgtr a non-teohniod record of the hilrtory o? tho L'sdicd Progm of t b Ilenh&ttan Dirt riot. The hirtory eoverl the period fran the lnaeptlon of the huhattmn Dirtrict to1 July rad from thore in dlr i ddr rho were au a oo i ~ t dw ith the Yedioif Proi d Sootion azwpt thore whlah eopeern Aru Y.

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1-1. OIInerrJ. - The primary objeativo of the Watt an District llru to develope cnd operate ptooeerer rhiah would make po8ritle the util - iz ation of the tramendour energy availlrble from the rp litt inc of uraxdum. Rumorour rmutual medical problems ware oncounterad a8 a rcsult of t h o unique nature of theme operotlonr. Thore diff i ou lt is r devdopad, prim - rerult of t h e f&ot that the bMia chemiarlr were rrdlorotive conoexaing rhiuh little or no toxiaity data were evall~bleo The Objaotive8.- The obJectlve8 o r the Watt an Distriat Pd-- foal Program wore to f aol lite to the progroati of the Project by rrisguudin& the basdth of the eaployosr, not only frum the hat u dr inherent In the pea diu nature of tho rtirtriot*r operations, but alto from the Urd indurtrfal media dh ~ rud rand to provide the uruil cli nio d md publio & f e a t rbrorbed ur.nium rpd plutonim oampodr rould hare on the hums body) &at a ff eot abrorbed produd, of ormlw (firrloa produotr from tha pile prooesr) and rdimotire produota produoed i n tbe actuJ explorian of the urrnitm mad plutonium baaib would her.; and *at huardr d$It be Bnaotmtered from abrorption of other ahadoalr dwalopod for uno by tho fairly r o l l barn, it war dirowored that the knorladga oonoernlng the pruimun de sxporursr t o rulop~lradiations WUI nat well-founded, urd that conrlderrblo rerearoh would be regtdred tr, est8hllrh d ' o 1sro1r w i t h fn addition, r3thou& the dulprr of work ritb rfidium =or.

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0art.intr. A natural corollary to there investlgatior~8, war rsserroh designed. to eatabllrh early alfnr of toxic effects from there char=iodr or frm radiation, and tc develop r pec iria maauresr uhioh would be w e - ful for tro at inc aver-axporuras. b. Industria1 Ilyglane. - Appropriate progrrms of In dur t tid hydene had t o be instituted in the plmtr and 18borotories working dth them unurual oh do ale.Plant medioal staff r had to be prorided with the lnforsutiun a eo er ruy to tho in toll l gent performance of their dutisr, xi th out oonprormising the reaurity of t b projaot. Rerrsvah urn rmquired to derirr moan8 of er tim st in ~ t h edegree of hrtvd and exposure t o whiah mdiual and dental taoilltlsi weto either unavailable or already orer1oa.ded with patisntr. l thr md 8tdf required t o render adequate n r - tima medioal and dental o u e 8 t o fulfill errential publie health funotlonr &d the minfmnn retsrinary rervioe arded in the UUL. 1-4. Authorfratianr. .Authority t o omrtruut mad oprats the K e d - i d FaoilitLen of the Manh~ttrnM8trict i6 prorfded by uls folloriner approved M y 2, lQ40, whi & atathorirer the So at stu y of War t o prartdo bot the aeuesruy emrtruotion, rehabllftation, aocLIerrion, inatallation r torr ga of mllitary equipment and rupplisr, m d for rhelter.

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tho Preridezt m y ruthorice m y department or agc11cy of the rrotesrnnsat arcrcirlng fm c tIon8 ir connection wit). the war effort to actfr into oontractr and mdifications without rag ud to Freviour law8pcr t aid ng to ooontraatiq exoopt that thc oost-plus-.-peraonta&e ocntraat may hut be urd pnd the lawe pert lining to lidtation of profit8RUl t not be dol - rpprwed Juno 6 , 1842 rbloh authorited theSe ort tu y of Uar t o employ did dud8 to derign and rupemlre tha oonstruction of addltlcmal W U Department faoilltler when, in hie opinion, the r xf sting f8all ~ tie rare (1). Recort of 17 June 1942 t o the Prsridmt of tha---- Defenre Rerauoh Oolamittes. Thii report prerontr t h o rrmultr of rtudy d e to drtermiao tho adrimability of aarrying an what later be a lw tho yanhattm Distriot ProJeot, tho oonrequmoer involved, and tho r orul t. Amy Chief of Strif, tho Secratuy of Tu, the Vioe Prerldeat and the regarding thors features whiah are MDIT al aar iii ad ar Central Faallitis8

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et tho Clinton Engineer Horkrr "4) That 8s it cw rif - 8 be rtloctcd and ro quir d rith proper oonsj deration for powor rcqaireaents and 19 im cdi ate start h e Eade on oocrtruotion of the neoesllary fencing, houslri& utilities, and other f'aolli tier required. * A memorandum dated 30 Eoomber 1941 rrm t h e Seorctary of Ear to the ZInder Seoretary of Ear, hereby the Under Secretary i n delegated the pwere previously delegated to the Vu Ce paa eat by ?'xtcutfvc Order Bo. 9001. t o 'Ajar Cine rd L. S. Orover. - b ~ em or m du ad ated 17 April 1944, rlgned by the Under Sea ret aS y of Kiw omporrersd NnJor Gancbrll L. 9. Orores to snter l r t o contrruts and in* anendmenti or modiftoationr of oontrmotr heretofore o r hereafter nude, in um neot ion rith tho rark rrs lg aed to and omhg within tie jurisdiotioa of the -ttan Diatriot, U. S. Engineer Oifioe, purruaut t o Zxsctittive Order $9001 mdthe ?Irmtan$um for the Wndar Searetuy of n u , dated SO Daoember 1941. No. 8001. - from Major Canorrl L. 3. Graver t o the Mrtriut Ita&$narr.-- by rmnormdum &to6 10 Jtzno 1941, &feat%- u of I , September 1942, whereby the Mmttiot Enginmsr i a emparered ria aartafn erooptioP., tS thore contraots rhioh Y..Jor General Ororem had be muthorized to d e . Oeneral Polioy Croup do sip at ad by the President of the Unfted Stater t o trilltary Polioy Cdt t as to oonrider and plan military policy relating

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t o the proJeot, ouch planning to oover production, str.tegic m d taotBrigndicr & nerd L. E. SroVc8 tori tri th the Coriiittst 88 ' Xe Cut l Ve Off'iosr to o u r y out the pollcier that may be dsternintd. 1-5. 'Jrgenoy. - The problems facins the U ed los l Section were lnteaaiiicd by the innediete need for their solution. men 'he madiaal restnrch progrms were 6tart Qd J tho materiala t o he a tud la3 wore elready in m e 8t lanst on a laboratory roale, and in 80m instanots, on a plant tho P.edl0a.l remwch programs were prcaead to keep up w i t h operations. Lifrd66, thc Industrial Yedioal Pirimion 8t ita inoaptfoa, wae cod roa ted rith plsnta snd Imborotoriee l a operation on uLfanrllisr aatcrials, urd Ski la rly, throuC;)Iout tho courie of Itanhattea D is tr lot opsrrtlozrr, dLta aonceming their to rio it y ware rlmort non-existent. rites at which it wau neo es ruy to provide medical and d cnt al aare, 8tdfB had t o he proaursd md rer r to er inrtituted OT very rhort notioe. There WIC not time to experinant or rhift perronnel. afedical rervfccs b.dto be tnmqprattd u i t h the knowledge that the quality of' proferslonal 0-0 WE8 ruoellsnt and that it8rdl & bil it y wa.8 adequate. anrity &t the Projeot, was amjor factor atfooting the M strict ' r me did striated to the xtinimum re;uired for intelligent eonduct of the indirid- -1 operations. This iaot aoas mi res?onrlblo for great dlffisulty i n preventing ciuplitmtion of effort. -Crm lasdical remarah to euntractorr, great oarc m s rcrquired to datemine that the information rerched only those individual6 entitled to Li k dre, In the dirs ~ i n ~ tio nof data The phylriolms procured for medioal rer rice rt On kR idp

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were oommisrioneQ in the Amy primarily In ? he in tr ra at a of saourity, 8 i ~ i C ei t ram planned miE;inolly for thus to acme the +ants am wall ne the rest of the oomucity. Axmy nadiccl officers ware eelectcd also to insure that aapable individuals uere Facured and kept 3n the job. 1-7. Special Arrun:eneatr with Other Aprcies. - Certain spa aid arrua&emeotshad to be made to irmure the aoopetation of other a pnc i er and to mointrin ssourlty, rad dental roo ie tier at both Banford pad Oak Ridge -re oonaultsd urd . thelr rpproval obtained on the types of media al urd dental B O ~ ~ O Obeing offered, fn addition, fee rohedules ware drum up In oonformity with &.e prsvmlling rater of the aanm~unitisr. io- were aonduoted with the Proouremant and hrrignment Serrior for Phyafcimr, Dcntirtr, aad Vetarinarirnr. *Itm a neosrrqrthat the nationrl oflioo and uertaln looaf offioer of thir crganiretion be hdrired of t h o proaurament of phytioimr and dm tir tr from airilira prrotios oo\ilt! be faailitated, m d that roterrtion of den in osrontlal air i lira eotirittsr of t h e Dirtriot oould ba insured. Tbe Prouurement urd Amripsent Servia~ wae found to ba mort oooperatiro and halpful fn tho problem8 with rhioh it ria ~ noor ned. (800 App. B7) 0. S t a t e Boardr of Dental Exrminsri* - It clu iqooriblm to proauro muffioieat nmber of dentirtr lioenrcd in TeaneBres urd Washington to fulfill the needr of tho oowuaitier~ lioenlrer to p-eotiae dentiatry in both T a ~ e r r e emd Aarhingtan are grant4 only by examination rsd there l r no provision in t h e l u for temporary

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licenrurs. Therefore, arrangrmentr were made ~ i t ht h e State Aorrdt of Dental kuziners in thest? states, t o mark on t h e prcject mtil such tiw as *ey oould b e sparod to trka the ex ad net ion forli censure. quired that cl vili m physicianr obtrir. lioenres by cxad.natLon or feoi - procity ~ t htho least poasibla delay after reporting for work. Regotiationr were oontinually ~ rrie don with these orgnnIt&tir?na ta aid in prooureaent of perronnel to make avrllrbls rpsalal remicar m d