THE EFFECTS OF SOME LOCALLY APPLIED MEDICATIONS ON THE HEALING OF SECOND DEGREE BURNS

The possibility of evaluating experimentally the effects of locally applied medications on the rate of burn healing was explored. Twenty or 24 small burns were produced on each of eight anesthelized Chester White pigs by an exposure of 10 calories per square centimeter delivered ln 3 seconds. In earlier studies it had been found that lesions from this exposure are moderate second degree burns which, if untreated, are completelly covered wiih new epithelium in 14 days. Nine days after injury, less than half of them exhibit this degree of healing. The five medicated ointments tested were applied to randomized burns once a day for five days. After four days without treatment, the burns were biopsied. The degree of epithelial coverage was evaluated microscopically, and the results in treated and untreated areas were compared. None of the medications significantly promoted or delayed epithelial regeneration. Variations in healing rate from one animal to another and in different anatomical locations on the same animal were noted. These findings should affect the design of any experiment to determine the effects of treatment on healing. (auth

STUDIES ON LARGE AREA SUB-FABRIC BURNS

The detonation of shot one at Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954, produced a fallout of radioactive ash upon Rongelap Atoll, Marshall Islands. The distribution of the radioactive ash on the islands and in the plants and animals of the area has been studied and evaluated. During the first expedition to Rongelap Atoll on March 26, 1954, biological samples were collected and measurements made of the radiation contamination. On three additional expeditions extensive collections of material were made for this study, the last on January 25-30, 1955. The decline in radioactivity was measured in 1499 samples of fish, invertebrates, land plants, algae, birds, plankton, soil, and water from the Rongelap area. During this study particular emphasis was placed upon evaluation of the radioactivity in food used by the natives. Coconut milk collected on March 26, 1954, contained 1.03 microcuries per kilogram of wet tissue while the coconut meat had 1.16 mu c/kg. By January 25-30, 1955, the level in coconut milk had declined to 0.041 mu c/kg and the meat to 0.036 mu c/ kg. Fish muscle on March 26, 1954, averaged 2.74 mu c/kg and fish liver 204.0 mu c/kg. The decline to January 25-30 was 0.10 mu c/kg for the muscle and 3.52 mu c/kg for the liver of fish. Somewhat similar declines were found for clam muscle, crab muscle, bird muscle and liver, and for squash, papaya, arrowroot and pandanus. The level of radioactivity was highest in the northern portion of the atoll, except for samples of algae and fish-eating birds, collected during January 1955 from the southern part of the atoll, which had higher levels of radioactivity than samples collected from the northern islands on the same date. This may indicate a translocation of radioactive materials within the lagoon. (auth

THERMAL RADIATION MEASUREMENTS. PARTS I AND II. Preliminary Report. Project 39.3 of OPERATION PLUMBBOB

Attempts are reported to obtain records of transient air temperatures at selected locations in a blast biology underground shelter during nuclear explosions. No records were obtained due to failure of equipment. An evaluation of thermal burns was made on Chester White pigs used as test animals. One pig in the entrance and one about three feet inside the door received severe burns, while animals away from the entrance and those in the slow fill side received no burns. Possible explanations are discussed. (C.H.