The 83-Day Radiation Death Of Hisashi Ouchi

The BMJ explains that when Hisashi Ouchi and Masato Shinohara first arrived at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, tests showed that their lymphatic blood count had plummeted to zero. IFLScience notes that this left their bodies exposed to infections. They were also nauseous, dehydrated, and had diarrhea. Even so, HowStuffWorks states that Ouchi looked okay from the outside. Although his face was red and swollen, he did not yet have any burns on his body. In other words, it didn't look like he had been exposed to a fatal dose of radiation.

The 2008 book "A Slow Death: 83 Days of Radiation Sickness" details that three days after the accident, Ouchi arrived at the University of Tokyo Hospital. At the time, he was still able to talk, although his right hand did appear to be swollen. Ouchi's condition, however, quickly took a turn for the worst. Per HowStuffWorks, doctors concluded that the radiation was breaking down his chromosomes. Additionally, Ouchi needed oxygen, his skin began to fall off, and he developed blisters. Soon after, Dr. Kazuhiko Maekawa from the Tokyo University Hospital said that Ouchi's chances of recovery were "very slim," per The Washington Post.

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