MOVIE • 1949

The Medical Effects of the Atomic Bomb

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Created in 1949 by the U.S. Army, "The Medical Effects of the Atomic Bomb" represents an early attempt to describe the impact of bomb effects and radiation exposure to the American public. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima four years earlier is used as the primary example, with graphic footage shown of the devastated city. What's not shown are the many sick and injured survivors — a strange omission given the film's title. The real point of the film seems to be that a nuclear attack is survivable so long as society makes preparations for that eventuality, a standard Civil Defense message that would be refined in the coming decade. Once the incredibly powerful H-bomb entered the picture however, the very concept of Civil Defense became obsolete.