For decades after the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, Hiroshimans suffered from radiation poisoning caused by the lingering effects of nuclear weaponry. Some survivors of the bombing spent the rest of their lives dealing with chronic exhaustion, which is one of the most common symptoms of radiation poisoning. Others developed symptoms, such as cancers, months or even years after the blast—the bombing caught up to them once they had imagined that their lives had moved on. In this way, radiation poisoning can be interpreted as a symbol of the long-lasting, unforgettable, and inescapable damage caused by the atomic blast.
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Radiation Poisoning Symbol Timeline in Hiroshima
The timeline below shows where the symbol Radiation Poisoning appears in Hiroshima. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Four: Panic Grass and Feverfew
...too. Nakamura, Myeko, Tanimoto, and Kleinsorge don’t realize it, but they are all suffering from radiation sickness .
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...the hospital, doctors try to treat him, but they don’t know how to deal with radiation poisoning . They prescribe vitamins and iron pills, to no avail—his condition won’t improve, and his...
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...in the town of Shikoku. Meanwhile, Dr. Sasaki and his fellow doctors begin to understand radiation poisoning . Radiation from an atomic explosion can vaporize a human being almost instantaneously. It can...
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...the control of a new government whose single biggest responsibility is providing for victims of radiation sickness . By November, the population of Hiroshima is down to about 137,000, and the government...
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Chapter Five: The Aftermath
...better care of her children. Yaeko and Myeko grow up anemic as a result of radiation poisoning , but none of her three children has any of the more serious complications of...
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...missiles. In the ensuing outrage, the Japanese government begins providing medical care for victims of radiation sickness . Many hibakusha speak out against governmental neglect for their pain, and in 1957, the...
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By the 1950s, the medical community is well aware that radiation poisoning can cause long-term damage. Leukemia is especially common in hibakusha, as are other forms of...
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...Yokohama, Dr. Tatsutaro Hattori. Hattori had once been Sasaki’s boss in Hiroshima, but he’s contracted radiation sickness and moved to Yokohama. Hattori suggests that Sasaki get some X-rays, and the X-rays reveal...
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In 1946, Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge goes back to the hospital for radiation sickness , from which he suffers for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, he lives “this...
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...an X-ray technician), and both of his daughters marry doctors. Luckily, Fujii doesn’t suffer from radiation poisoning . To the extent that the bombing of Hiroshima affects him psychologically, it encourages him...
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