ATTACHMENT 10


INTER-OFFICE MEMORANDUM

15 March 1945

TO: J. R. Oppenheimer

FROM: J. W. Kennedy, A. C. Wahl, J. F. Nolan, Capt. K.C. Wright 
Langham, L. H. Hempelmann

SUBJECT: Medical Research of Manhattan District conducted with 
	 Plutonium

At a joint meeting of representatives of the CM division and the 
Medical group on 10 March 1945, it was agreed that the director 
should be asked to submit a request to the Manhattan district for 
an intense medical research program to be concerned with 
detoxification of persons poisoned with plutonium. As far as is 
known to us, only two people of the several hundred engaged in 
medical research by the Manhattan district are concerned with 
this problem and these two are working only on a part time basis. 
In view of the large numbers of people on this project exposed to 
extremely great quantities of plutonium, it would seem imperative 
that an intensive study of the treatment of plutonium poisoning be 
undertaken as soon as possible.

It was also pointed out at this meeting that the very important and 
difficult problem of detection of alpha active material in the lungs 
has been studied only at this project and here only on a very limited 
scale. It was felt that this problem should be given much higher 
priority here and at other projects.

It is suggested that our relationship to the medical program of the 
Manhattan district be discussed with Colonel Warren on his visit 
here 19 March 1945.

LHH/fw

cc/ J. W. Kennedy
A. C. Wahl
Capt. J. Nolan
Wright Langham
L. H. Hempelmann