No Radio-Active Disease In Oceania

Another Silly Story Refuted

Letter to the Editor

HAVE seen several references in recent issues of the Pacific Islands Monthly to a mysterious in disease in the Marquesas ands, and as recently as July, in h-dependent Pacific Islanders. [t is referred to as an “apparently mrable skin disease attributed to lio-activity” following the Ameria atom-bomb tests in the Pacific, \s a representative of the Intute de Recherches Medicales de ceonie Francaise, I spent four eks in the Marquesas Islands in ne and July of this year. I visited ir £. i in J ha bi ted valley of the six labited islands, collecting blood nples for our filariasis-control ►gramme. I personally saw about lety per cent, of the total Mar- ;san population, while collecting od samples. saw no evidence of any such skin ease, or other disorder due to lic-active fall-out. personally know Dr. Ridoux, the sent resident physician for these ,nds, and Dr. de Carfort, whom Chief

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e ’ °fi Nuka Hiva). %. 1S matt jr r with both S? they T tJ l e artl f*r the PIM issue which I had with They both stated that they I never seen any evidence of m-bomb radiation in any of the rquesan population.

T- de Carfort had an explanation

for such a wild rumour. About two years ago, an American pleasure yacht cruised the area, and the vacationers noted considerable scabies and impetigo among the children. When they inquired as to the cause of these filth diseases, they were told by some natives that it was due to the atom-bombs. This story found its way to the lay press in America, and was eventually commented upon without further in vestigation in a French scientific publication.

I inquired into the contamination of fish, and I learned that one tuna had been caught in Marquesan waters which had been tagged and released in Hawaiian waters. It was assumed that, if one fish could swim through possibly contaminated waters, others might do so. They might possibly become radio-active; might possibly be caught and eaten in the Marquesas; and someone might possibly suffer some ill-effects.

It is all conjecture up to the pre sent time.

I enjoy your magazine, your pertinent editorials. But I do not think you would want to continue to give a false impression about atom bomb effects in the Marquesas Islands.

I am, etc.,

Dr. Harry N. March,

Fi e 2d Director Papeete, Sept. 6.

Editorial Note:

sacri ?ce of truth to sensa tionalism by English language newspapers is now one of pro blems of Western civilisation Dr. Harry March refers to only one example of it. The PIM, which tries to make use of the newspapers as a guide to world events with a on Pacific Elands affairs sees it every day.

As a rule, we take most of what n^I e - ad lth i a grain of salt > b ut are occasionally led into error. o«?? e sto I r l es about Islanders’ radio active skin diseases have been prevalent for some time; and Dr. de n ai H°S S • th eory of their source probably is the correct one. Some a F ey rabbit ’ but insists that it is red or purple’ and immediately the whole screaming press pack is chasing a red orpurpll mystery creature.” p p e We are grateful to Dr. March for his refutation of the story.

Matthews has set up an lan i g agency and commercial public relations consultant organ isation in Suva. It is believed to be ™ st Ll uch a e enc y in the Colony.

Mr. Matthews was formerly Asslst a,nt Public Relations Officer, and was Acting Public Relations Officer m the interregnum between the re tirement of Mr. L. G. Usher at the end °f 1956 and the arrival of Mr.

J. Hackett in July.