On August 6th, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was
eradicated
from the face of the earth. Tens of thousands of people died in the
minutes after the bomb tore through the city and in the months and
years afterwards - from horrible burns, injuries endured during the
blast and of the deadly radiation sickness. As physicians, we must
acknowledge that, which the WHO has already stated in the past:
"Nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat to human life". The disease
of war has gained a new symptom and new complications. With the nuclear
destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima 60 years ago, mankind has gained
the power of self-destruction. Nuclear weapons kill indescriminately -
children, women, men, livestock - they destryo infrstructure,
hospitals, disable any meaningful medical response and pollute the
environment for generations to come.
We as physicians must work against nuclear weapons and make sure that
they are never used again. This year, medical students from around the
world gathered in solidarity with the victims of the nuclear attacks
and vowed to bring the issue of nuclear threat back into the public
eye. With stduent groups all over the globe organizing "Target X"
projects and students raising awareness of the ongoing threat of
nuclear weapons with the support of the IPPNW doctors, we feel that we
have begun on a long road towards nuclear disarmament, which many of us
will continue walking as doctors and future decision makers. Click on
the links below to see what happened on August 6th.
Students
all over the world held installations of the student project Target
X
Read
Gunnar
Westberg's article on the
Journey of Buddhist Monks, who carried the atomic flame from Hiroshima
back to New Mexico.
The
Nuclear
Weapons Inheritance Project
sent student delegations to India
and Pakistan
in order to raise
awareness for the issue of nuclear weapons amongst young people in
these two countries.
On August 6th, 1945, the city of Hiroshima was
eradicated
from the face of the earth. Tens of thousands of people died in the
minutes after the bomb tore through the city and in the months and
years afterwards - from horrible burns, injuries endured during the
blast and of the deadly radiation sickness. As physicians, we must
acknowledge that, which the WHO has already stated in the past:
"Nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat to human life". The disease
of war has gained a new symptom and new complications. With the nuclear
destruction of Nagasaki and Hiroshima 60 years ago, mankind has gained
the power of self-destruction. Nuclear weapons kill indescriminately -
children, women, men, livestock - they destryo infrstructure,
hospitals, disable any meaningful medical response and pollute the
environment for generations to come. 
