It was 9 August 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Nagasaki Medical College, where I was a professor of surgery at the time, was located only 700 m from the hypocenter. All the buildings of the college and hospital were reduced to ashes by the explosion and a total of 892 people including President Tsunoo, faculty members and students perished. I was in one of the professors’ offices of the hospital, but thanks to the heavy shielding provided by concrete walls I suffered no trauma or burns. Though radiation sickness developed three weeks later, I fortunately recovered completely following treatment for one month. I was appointed Director of the College Hospital as successor to Professor Naitoh, who unfortunately was killed by the explosion of the A-bomb.

Since all the buildings of Nagasaki Medical College had been demolished, most of the faculty members and students were relocated around the end of September 1945 to the former Omura Naval Hospital, where medical care was provided to hospitalized A-bomb survivors and lectures were held for students. Though stricken with radiation sickness, I also soon moved to Omura.

At that time, Professor Tsuzuki of the University of Tokyo was stationed with a staff of more than 10 persons at the former Omura Naval Hospital and was engaged in studies of A-bomb injuries together with several American doctors headed by Dr. Henry L. Barnett. This team was replaced in October by another American group of more than 10 headed by Dr. Shields Warren. As Director of the Nagasaki Medical College Hospital I extended complete cooperation to these teams and provided them with as much convenience as possible for the sake of friendly relations. With the cooperation of surviving doctors and medical students, investigation of more than 8,000 A-bomb survivors was completed and after spending a year of effort the findings of this investigation were compiled into four papers.

Three years after the A-bombing, in 1948, ABCC/JNIH was established in Nagasaki. According to my book of autographs, the first Director of the Nagasaki ABCC was Mrs. Elizabeth J. Creighton, a public health nurse whom I frequently met in her office located within Shinkozen Primary School. Through the good offices of Dr. Isamu Nagai, Director of JNIH Nagasaki Branch Laboratory, Dr. Hiroshi Tezuka, my nephew, was employed by ABCC and given a small office. I still remember that I inscribed his name on the name plate of his office.

The second Director was Dr. Robert Kazuo Kurata, a Japanese-American who had a good command of the Japanese language. He was succeeded by Dr. James N. Yamazaki, a Japanese-American pediatrician who was also fluent in Japanese. I recall that in 1950 I chaired a discussion session with Dr. Yamazaki and Dr. William J. Schull from Ohio State University with the presence of 13 A-bomb survivors at the Nagasaki Medical College Hospital. As Dr. Schull was assigned to ABCC for extended periods, I became very intimate with him and I was very sad to say good-bye when he returned to the United States last year.

At the request of Dr. Yamazaki, Mr. Hamazaki, an elderly ABCC employee competent in English, translated into English the subsequent paper I prepared at the former Omura Naval Hospital. This was edited by Drs. W. S. Adams, S. W. Wright and J. N. Yamazaki and was then published in the Military Surgeon (Vol. 113, No. 4, pp. 251-63) in 1953 under my name. I met Dr. Yamazaki at the time of my visit to Los Angeles, and during his visit to Nagasaki RERF four years ago, we held a welcome party for him. He is one of the former members of the ABCC whom I will never forget.

The fourth Director of Nagasaki ABCC was Dr. Stanley W. Wright who was at UCLA at the time of my visit to the United States and kindly invited me to his home at the time. The fifth Director was Dr. James K. Scott, a pathologist who was at the University of Rochester in New York at the time of my visit.

The sixth Director was Dr. Frank H. Connell with whom my association was the closest among the directors. He was a warm man and arranged to have Assistant Professor Tsuji and several others in my department study in the United States and recommended me as a participant in the Leaders’ Program sponsored by GHQ, SCAP. This enabled me to make a three-month inspection tour of universities and hospitals in the United States. I am very grateful for his many kindnesses.

At the time of the inauguration of ABCC in 1948, it was said that ABCC would have to be continued for at least two decades, that is, until 1968. 1 do not know whether it was part of the 20th anniversary celebration, but on 15 February 1969 ABCC presented me with a bronze medallion (7.5 cm in diameter and 0.5 cm in thickness) for meritorious service. In Nagasaki, it was only Dr. Koyano and I who were so commended by Dr. Dunham, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. It was an honor for Dr. Koyano and me to be invited thereafter for dinner with about 20 persons associated with ABCC.

Though I had not been directly associated with ABCC when the institute was reorganized into the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) on I April 1975, 1 was appointed Visiting Director by Chairman Yamashita and invited to attend meetings of the Board of Directors for eight successive years until June 1983. At the time of my retirement from RERF, I was honored with a splendid metallic plaque produced by the Japanese Mint Bureau. During my service as Visiting Director, Dr. Sadahisa Kawamoto and thereafter Dr. Toshio Fujikura served as chiefs of the Nagasaki Laboratory. For two years following my retirement, I was appointed consultant to the Nagasaki Laboratory and thereafter honorary consultant.

Another member of the staff of Nagasaki ABCC whom I can never forget is Dr. Warner Wells. Although he was a surgeon assigned to ABCC in Hiroshima, he often visited Nagasaki for studies of A-bomb keloids, and during these visits, he would invite us for lively discussion on American surgery and surgical diseases. I am most indebted to him for the courtesies extended to me at the time of my visit to the University of North Carolina.

ABCC, which was established in 1948 for a projected study period of 20 years, was reorganized into RERF in 1975 and has welcomed its 40th anniversary this year pursuing a research program almost the same as ABCC. It is expected that this research institute will continue its activities as long as nuclear weapons exist, but on the other hand, I sincerely pray that nuclear weapons will be abolished as soon as possible for the sake of world peace.