The last tomato - Hiroshima told in his own words (13)

　
Epilogue

The Co-op Kobe, a chairperson of which I am, asked the mothers (the members) and staffs to contribute 100 yen respectively. With the money, we have bought medical equipment and have contributed for the atomic bomb hospitals in Hiroshima and Nagasaki all the time. Since money was not enough in the Atomic Bomb Commemoration Hospital, it was troubled that it could not have so new medical equipments. Even if the amount of money which each person gives is never large, when many people gather their power, considerable money can be obtained. We have continued to gather money, hoping that the hospital can introduce at least one medical equipment every year and use it for improvement in medical treatment.

When I was inaugurated as a union president in Heisei 3 (1991), I was invited from the director of the hospital, "Please come to see our hospital once. and I went to visit the hospital. On that day I had warm welcome from the staffs as well as the director and was shown everywhere inside the hospital. The building of the Atomic Bomb Commemoration Hospital is of the Hiroshima Japanese Red Cross Society hospital which was built in Showa 12 (1937). It was located about the middle point between the Hiroshima city office where I was contaminated, and my mother school, at 1500m distant from the center of the explosion, but it remained without collapsing. Though the tiles of the door are in the same state as at the time of contamination, they remain still now without any sheet exfoliating. I found the medical equipment we had presented. The plate where a date and "donation by the Nada Kobe co-op" were written was stuck on the equipment. The Nada Kobe co-op was an old name of the Co-op Kobe.

Medical equipments cannot be mass-produced. Even if it is a small apparatus, the price of it is expensive, five or ten million yen. However, even if it is small, since it was presented by the contributions of the members and staffs of the co-op, so all the people of the hospital were very much appreciated.

I saw the transparent plastic baskets of 2850 after I went up to the roof at the end of inspection of the hospital. 2850 contamination patients passed away after they were hospitalized in this hospital from Showa 20 (1945) to that year (1991). The internal organs of all the people are saved in formalin liquid. The plate on which his death date, his age and his name were written is stuck on each basket. The clinical history and the dissection view are boiled and recorded in the drawers. In order to save them, formalin liquid has to be replaced every year. The work can be supported by the volunteers of hundreds of people, such as medical students. Though 80 million yen per year is necessary for maintenance, no support comes from a country or a prefecture. They have to carry it out of the expense which manages the hospital. It is serious to keep precious data left.

One doctor who was in charge of the medical treatment of illness caused by A-bomb radiation all the time after the war, said When we use these internal organs as a material of research, even if it is one piece, we use it very carefully, with appreciating God. This is eternal precious property for human beings. It can be never made anymore and must be never made. That's right. I also thought anew "it is really serious if human beings might make this once again." In order to hand down the solemn problem of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to future generations, these should be saved eternally. For the present sake and for the sake of the next generation, I think that we must appreciate that these are being saved with much care.

On the monument built in Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima is written the following.

Let all the souls here rest in peace,
for we shall not repeat the evil.

Hiroshima sees the 53rd summer in this year (1998). Although the day of atomic bombing was just before my birthday of 14 years old, I, now, exceeded 60 years old already. Those who know Hiroshima of that day also are decreasing gradually. It is necessary that every person consider this "phrase" deeply. I have read the text of asking, "Who said this Phrase to whom?

However, I think that we had better read obediently.
For example, it is a phrase of mine that lost my elder sister. No, it should be my own phrase. At the same time, it is better to be considered as my own "heart". I think that it must continue to be told as my own words and my own heart.

My elder sister, Reiko -- please sleep peacefully.
Since human beings, including myself, shall not repeat such a thing, the bad thing of war, please allow us.

Please sleep peacefully.

This "word" is a wish common to human beings, a shout, and a word from my sincere heart.

(The end)