A Slow Death: 83 Days of Radiation Sickness

Very interesting book. I read it rather quickly (3 - 4 hours) even if I haven't been the most prolific reader in the last year. I came across the story of Mr. Ouchi a year ago and it stuck with me due to some graphic pictures online (not included in the book). Nuclear plant accidents like Chernobyl have always interested me because of the effects of something pretty much invisible. One mistake and it causes horrible consequences to the human body. Almost feels like scifi. So of course I had to read this book. I will say I really enjoyed it. As I said I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down and I cried my eyes out at the end. But said that, as someone familiar with this story I do feel their attempt at not pointing fingers at the Doctors involved and I assume their attempt at keeping the book from being too gore-y made me feel like Mr. Ouchi's real suffering wasn't conveyed faithfully. He was truly a guinea pig, be it out of hope to save him or not. The pictures online of his last days truly paint a very different picture. I felt bad for him as he was left unable to communicate and even after his death his suffering was portrayed as milder than it was. A truly heartbreaking story.

This is a book I have been looking for for some time. With this paperback edition being just released, I did not have to pay over $40 for the hardcover edition. The story is a fascinating tale of a man who was exposed to an open nuclear reactor (in essence), and how his health slowly over 83 days went from no problems, to having the most horrific symptoms of radiation poisoning which ultimately took his life. Reading this book is not easy. The author went into great detail to describe, in plain language, the symptoms that direct radiation causes. This book really made me think about how patients are treated in hospitals not only in the US, but around the world. This book will show how different the culture in Japan is compared to ours. A final word, if you are easily upset by detailed descriptions of medical procedures, you may want to give pause before reading this fine book.

This was a 2 day read for me (and I don’t read that often!). It was compelling, tragic, disheartening, and honestly scary. The author does a great job of dumbing down complex science facts for laymen. Humans are so full of themselves that they think they can outsmart the laws of nature (JCO). At first I really thought the medical care team had a God complex but after reading their accounts I have more sympathy. Rest In Peace Hisashi Ouchi and Masato Shinohara. You two have made the world a lot safer, know that your suffering was not for naught!

This is a book about a man named Ouchi whose chromosomes were destroyed by a blast of neutron rays while working in unsafe conditions in a uranium processing facility. For 83 days, a crack team of doctors, nurses, and medical experts from several countries try to keep him alive. Because Ouchi's chromosomes have been destroyed, his body cannot generate new cells to replace the dead ones. His skin falls off. His mucus membranes disappear. He is in constant pain. He suffers massive internal hemorrhages and the medical staff have to constantly pump fluids and nutrients into his body to keep him alive. His organs fail, one by one, and their functions are taken over by various medical apparatus. At various points, Ouchi's doctors and nurses question whether or not what they are doing is the right thing to do. That is to say, are they actually helping him, or are they just endlessly prolonging his agony? This is a slim but tough book.It goes into gruesome but necessary detail about the deterioration of a human body afflicted by neutron beam radiation. It is told in a straightforward reportorial style that goes into thoroughgoing technical detail but not so much that the average reader cannot follow along. It also gives space to the emotional turmoil the medical staff underwent as they battled to keep Ouchi alive. In some ways, this is a book about the dangers of atomic radiation, but it is also a strange kind of existential novel where the main character's mental state is largely unknown at the height of his suffering. Ouchi was under heavy sedation for much of his sickness and he was unable to communicate in any detail what his thoughts and feelings were. The book seems to suggest that had he been awake his suffering would've been monstrous. The medical staff did what they thought was best even in the face of a hopeless situation. This is harsh story taken from real life and told in harrowing but necessary detail.

This book, which was a quick read, tells the story of Hisashu Ouchi, a nuclear power plant technician who lived for 83 days after being exposed to lethal levels of radiation. It details the horrific suffering that Ouichi endured as the radiation destroyed his DNA and reduced his white blood cell count to insanely low levels. After initially experiencing some swelling and vomiting, his condition steadily deteriorated as he starts losing skin and radiation rocks his internal organs. What’s as equally interesting is the discussion of how his team of doctors treated his case, which everyone know had a 100 percent mortality rate. Yet the team of doctors continues to do every treatment possible, even though these are long-shot measures that are simply prolonging his suffering - to then point where Ouichi cries out that “I will not be a guinea pig!” As the doctors proceed to do everything possible, the nurses treating him wonder whether the doctor’s efforts were just worsening and prolonging his suffering. I must say I was a bit baffled by the doctors’ statements that they feel obligated ethically to do whatever was possible depots the long odds of some of the measures working. Ouichi’s family, although wanting him to survive and fight, don’t seem to be the major force behind these treatments. It’s the doctors. This is an interesting case study in medical ethics - and a strong argument for euthanasia. Something stuck me as wrong in the doctors’ unwillingness to face reality. I think anyone reading it would think “gosh if I were in his shoes, I would want to die as soon as possible”.

This book is a very sad account of the accident that claimed the lives of both Masato Shinohara and Hashashi Ouchi . The book only tells the horrifying tell of Ouchi's slow and painful death. How doctors either couldn't or wouldn't admit that he was a dead man. They saw letting him die as a dishonor so they keep him alive for 83 days even though he wanted his suffering to end much sooner claiming he was not their guinea pig. And how the doctors gave the family false hope that he would recover so they keep letting the doctors continue experimenting on him to keep him alive as long as possible. Not a lot of pictures so you don't see his complete deterioration. If you're squeamish this book is NOT for you. But if you want to read a get to the point book that doesn't mince words it's a great read.

This is one of the most unflinching accounts of radiation poisoning. The cool, factual writing makes it all the more chilling. There is no dramatization, only a recounting of documented events.

Definitely worth the read if you are interested in history that you would never have thought about researching. A great quick book

It’s a really good book if you want to know about the effects of radiation on a person’s body It explains the horrors of radiation very well 10/10 Would recommend

Sicher nicht das alltäglichste Thema und eine Situation in der sich nur wenige Menschen unmittelbar wieder finden. Allerdings ist die Beschreibung und das Nachvollziehen der Ereignisse sehr eindrücklich. Die Zusammenhänge, welche Schäden Strahlung wie medizinisch bewirkt und welche Folgen das hat, wann man die Grenzen bekannter Medizin verlässt und wie hier gegebenenfalls agiert werden könnte - an einem konkreten Beispiel, sind sehr aufschlußreich. Man sollte jedoch sehr an dem Thema interessiert sein. Es ist sicher keine Gelegenheitslektüre.

Was a great read

I went in with the info about how the doctors basically forced this poor man to endure radiation sickness as it slowly killed him to experiment on him. The doctors are portrayed as heroes who wanted to give him the best care possible and actually believed they could cure him. It wasn't just the doctors that tortured him someone much closer did too. His family selfishly pushed them on because they only cared what they wanted. Its a heart wrenching account of the 83 days this man endured unbearable pain that would in the end change Japan's medical care when it comes to radiation victims forever.

As an engineer working in this field I found this a very good reminder of just how horrific the impacts can be on the human body. There are some good lessons to be picked up, especially about people not knowing the dangers of what they are working with. The book is short but covers a lot and leaves the reader asking questions around the morality of what happened post event. A good read overall.