re, layers
of clothing did occur in patients near the center. In such cases, it
was not unusual to find burns through black but not through white
clothing, on the same patient. Flash burns also tended to involve
areas where the clothes were tightly drawn over the skin, such as at
the elbows and shoulders.

The Japanese report the incidence of burns in patients surviving more
than a few hours after the explosion, and seeking medical attention, as
high as 95%. The total mortalities due to burns alone cannot be
estimated with any degree of accuracy. As mentioned already, it is
believed that the majority of all the deaths occurred immediately. Of
these, the Japanese estimate that 75%, and most of the reports estimate
that over 50%, of the deaths were due to burns.

In general, the incidence of burns was in direct proportion to the
distance from X. However, certain irregularities in this relationship
result in the medical studies because of variations in the amount of
shielding from flash burn, and because of the lack of complete data on
persons killed outright close to X.

The maximum distance from X at which flash burns were observed is of
paramount interest. It has been estimated that patients with burns at
Hiroshima were all less than 7,500 feet from the center of the
explosion at the time of the bombing. At Nagasaki, patients with burns
were observed out to the remarkable distance of 13,800 feet.

MECHANICAL INJURIES

The mechanical injuries included fractures, lacerations, contusions,
abrasions, and other effects to be expected from falling roofs,
crumbling walls, flying debris and glass, and other indirect blast
effects. The appearance of these various types of mechanical injuries
was not remarkable to the medical authorities who studied them.

It was estimated that patients with lacerations at Hiroshima were less
than 10,600 feet from X, whereas at Nagasaki they extended as far as
12,200 feet.

The tremendous drag of wind, even as far as 1 mile from X, must have
resulted in many injuries and deaths. Some large pieces of a prison
wall, for example, were flung 80 feet, and many have gone 30 feet high
before falling. The same fate must have befallen many persons, and the
chances of a human being surviving such treatment are probably small.

BLAST INJURIES

No estimate of the number of deaths or early symptoms due to blast
pressure can be made. The pressures developed on the ground under th