Statement Concerning Suyama

SUYAMA, SHIZUKO (SHIMIDA) [Marginal Note: (KIU) ]

Statement of Suvama (taken 20 July - 1 August 1947)

23, enrolled nurses training at KIU Medical College 1938, became a graduate nurse in 1940, assigned to Ishiyama Surgery, left September 1945 and married Shimada. In 1945 Suyama was assistant head nurse directly under Tsutsui at Ishiyama Surgery, assisted her in her duties. Also went with Ishiyama and other doctors when they made their rounds of patients, at which time the doctors took notes on the condition of the various patients. Suyama also gave instructions to the nurses who worked under her as part of the nurses training program. All nurses in Ishiyama Surgery except Tsutsui were under Suyama's supervision. Fusae Nakamura was responsible for the nurses on the 3rd floor of Ishiyama Sur­gery, aided in student instruction, Kimie Teshima performed the same duty on the 1st floor, Shigeko Tomita on the 1st floor, Akiye Miki was nurse in charge of the operation room of Ishiyama Surgery.

Suyama saw operations on PWs 4. times. The 1st operation Suyama attended was a lung operation— there was but one Prisoner. The other 3 series are not clear in Suyama's mind.

The 2nd series was on 2 Prisoners— one a brain operation, one a stomach opera­tion. There were 3 Prisoners operated on at the 3rd series, 2 at the 4th series. Suyama recalls a leg and liver operation the 3rd time and a cut made on a heart. Suyama doesn't re ca ll what operations were performed in the 4th series.

There were a total of 7 Prisoners (?), believes there were 2 stomach operations, is not certain as to whether there were 2 brain operations. These operations took place in May 1945, were from 3 days to a week apart. After the 1st opera­tion Sato told Ishiyama that they were B-29 crew members who had raided Japan. On the way to the Anatomy Building for the 1st operation, Tsutsui told Suyama to help Miki, that there was to be an operation on a PW. When anyone said "P" it was assumed to be an American. Since Americans were flyin g B-29 planes, Suyama naturally thought that these Prisoners must have been American.

Sato did say at the 1st operation that the Prisoner had raided Tokyo several times. After Suyama went back to Ishiyama Surgery after the 1st operation, Ishiyama said that the man he had operated on was an American B-29 flyer, thanked Suyama for helping at the operation that afternoon. Suyama had seen Caucasians before. The men operated on were light in color, larger than most Japanese, their hair was not black, their features were different than Japanese— they looked like Americans.

In early May, after finishing an operation in Ishiyama Surgery, Tsutsui came in, told Miki and Suyama to help that afternoon in an operation to be held at the Anatomy Section Autopsy Room, that they should bring the instruments and equip­ment at about 1300. Miki prepared the instruments, Suyama didn't see these instruments until just before the operation; some were rather large; Suyama could tell that the operations was to be on the chest because there was an instrument to cut out ribs. There were scalpels for cutting flesh , retractors, clamps, an instrument to scrape flesh from the bones, a number of threaded needles. Suyama and others unwrapped the instruments and la id them out in the order in which they were to be used.

Suyama supposes that Miki ste rilize d the instruments as she usually did— placed

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in a sterilizer where they were put under steam heat for quite a while, then placed in sterile cloths. Too, the nurses handling the instruments had to be clean. The instruments used in the 1st operation were placed in a large cloth.

About 1300 Miki, Suyama, and, Suyama believes, Tsutsui put the instruments in a basket and took them to the 1st floor of Ishiyama Surgery, then put them on a cart with other equipment to be taken, including sterile gauze, antiseptic, cloths to be placed over the patients, gloves, pans for the doctors to wash their hands in before the operation. Miki and Suyama brought a ll these things.

Someone else, probably one of the doctors — Suyama believes it was Senba - brought a portable operating lamp, some sort of fluid , a stand, and possibly an aspirator, which is a machine used to suck the blood away from an infection. At that time a lot of equipment was being moved, and Ishiyama said that the operation would be difficult without that machine. It was usually used in the operating room, when operations were performed where there would be likely to be a large flow of blood.

Senba usually helped Ishiyama during the operations, would be the person most likely to have made arrangements as to the equipment. He took blood pressure and made injections during the operations. But Suyama is not sure that he did bring these items of equipment.

Miki, Tsutsui and Suyama went together to the Anatomy Building. There were some doctors from Ishiyama Surgery who went there about the same time, but they walked separately— Suyama believes these were Seriba and Nogawa. At that time Nogawa was also working with Ishiyama much of the time, and he was usually at all the operations performed by Ishiyama.

The aspirator was about 30" long, 12" wide, 18" high, had a motor on the bottom. 2 glass jars were placed on the top connected by a hose or glass tube. One bottle was also connected by a tube to the motor. When the motor was turned on, Suyama believes some sort of suction was created. One tube led from the bottle and was used in the operational area. When the suction started, the blood would be sucked into one of the jars. The machine had wheels, was always kept in the Surgery Room at Ishiyama Surgery. Suyama doesn't remember whether the aspirator was in front of the anatomy building the day of the 1st operation or whether it was in the room where the operations were performed.

Suyama and the others didn't know where to go in the Anatomy Building, so waited outside for a short time. Torisu then came out, told them he would show them, took them to the dissecting roan. They had to make 2 trip s to bring in the in­struments and other supplies. There was no one else in the room. It looked as though students had been working since stools were scattered around and there were 4 dissecting tables set up without slabs. The floor was not very dirty, but it was dusty. The windows were a ll closed, but Suyama thinks some of the glass was broken. There, were 2 tubs of water in the end of the room away from the windows. There was also a small wooden tub in the permanent wash basin on one side of the room. Quite a bit of water had been spilled on the floor around the tubs.

Miki and Suyama did not know how the room was to be arranged, but picked up the stools and put them in one corner near the windows, set up stands and pans of

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disinfectant for the doctors to use when they scrubbed. The stands and the pans had been brought from Ishiyama Surgery. Ishiyama then came in the room with Torisu, Hirao, Mori, Senba, Nogawa and Komori. Ishiyama told the doctors how he wanted the tables arranged. One was put in the middle half of the room on the end where most of the windows were located; another was placed at the end of th  is table and cross ways to it.

Senba and Nogawa had come in early and set up equipment while the nurses were clean­ing. Then they left, came back with Ishiyama, Senba set up a table for anaesthetics several feet from where the operating table was standing. He set up a stand used at Ishiyama Surgery on one side so that it would not be in the way— the stand was about 5! high, was a metal rod with a heavy base and legs which were also made of metal. The jar was attached to the top of the stand and had a rubber hose which came out the bottom. The bottle had some sort of liquid in it. Just before everything was ready, Senba brought the stand with the glass jar Close to the operating table.

Nogawa brought a table, put a stool on it, and he climbed.up to an electric cord in one of the ceiling light extensions. The cord came down to a board that had several plugs in it, and various electrical devices could be plugged into the board. The lamp was plugged into it, and if the aspirator was used, it was plugged in, too.

The room had no ceiling; one could see the cross beams go right up to the roof; the beams were bare and dirty. Suyama asked Nogawa if it wasn’t dangerous. The ceiling and roof are yet in the same condition.

The professors had been waiting in the hall after everything was set up for the operation. They then went out in the yard in back of the Anatomy Building, came in 2-3 times. Finally, they heard a car or truck in the back. Miki and Suyama finished preparing the solution for the doctors to use in scrubbing their hands.

The doctors came into the room. Ishiyama told Senba to give some anaesthetic to the Prisoner who was brought in , and Senba then prepared his anaesthetics. Komori told Ishiyama that the Prisoner had already been drugged, but when the Prisoner was brought in , it did not appear to Suyama that he was drugged. The Prisoner was blindfolded and his hands were tied; he was slender, tall, with reddish hairs. The Japanese soldiers took him into a little room near the dissection room, and Senba went there to administer the anaesthetic. The Prisoners clothes were a brown color, but were very dirty. He wore an extremely dirty white undershirt; had a very bad B.O.

Ether and chloroform were used. Suyama saw Senba and 2 soldiers with the Prisoner. The Prisoner was on the floor and Senba had placed a gauze over the Prisoners face and he put several drops of anaesthetic on it. Ishiyama, Komori, Hirao, and Torisu and Mori came in and scrubbed their hands, put on operating gowns. A few minutes later, 2 soldiers brought the Prisoner in on a stretcher. He was still blindfolded, and the blindfold was not taken o ff during the opera­tion.

About the time the in cision in the lung was made, Tanaka and Makino came in . Some of the doctors left before the operation was over, called out by telephone

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calls . The 3 staff Officers walked from place to place and asked to be excused before the operation was over. The soldiers left with them.

Ishiyama told Suyama to shave the chest of the Prisoner, which Suyama did, washed his chest with soap and water and put something, probably alcohol, on it, then put on some iodine, took a sterilized canvas sheet and placed it over the Pri­soner from his neck to his legs. There was a slit in the canvas over the area where the operation was to be performed.

The Prisoner had been wounded in his right shoulder, but it looked to Suyama as though the wound had healed and just the scar was left . Miki passed instruments to Ishiyama, and Ishiyama did the main part of the operating, with Komori as his main assistant, being directly across the table from Ishiyama. Nogawa walked from place to place and came over by Tsutsui; Suyama doesn't know what he did. Tsutsui held the operating lamp part of the time and just looked on part of the time. She probably alternated with Nogawa in holding the lamp.

Suyama is not sure whether Mori or Torisu was next to Ishiyama, whether Hirao was next to Komori. Tashiro, Lin, Sha and Tei (Iwasaki) were standing on stools some of the time. One of the 3 army staff officers was Sato; they moved from place to place. There were 2-3 soldiers in the room.

Ishiyama made an incision about 6-7 inches in the right side of the chest, just to the right of the breast bone. He cut out pieces of at least 3 ribs, each piece being about 3" long. He used an instrument that snapped them o ff, did not use a saw. During the operation Senba took the pulse of the Prisoner; he had a stand with a jar of colorless liquid next to him, was standing by the jar.

After the ribs had been cut, there was quite a bit of bleeding, and Ishiyama had some of his assistants, probably Mori, Torisu, and Hirao, use gauze to soak up the blood. Suyama is not certain whether or not an aspirator was used. Suyama doesn’t think so; otherwise she would have remembered it.

At the times that the ribs were being cut, Senba injected camphor into the arm of the Prisoner. Senba knew the procedure for this. Suyama believes he injected 1 cubic centimeter. Ishiyama probably gave him instructions before the operation. Ishiyama talked to Sato during the operation, telling him what was being done.

After the ribs were cut out, Suyama noticed that Hirako had come in and was standing in back of Komori, and a short time later Suyama saw Makino and Tanaka, who had just come in.

Suyama could not tell whether the entire lung was taken out or not. Just before the lung or part of the lung was removed, Senba injected some of the liquid from the glass jar into the Prisoner’s arm. Suyama put a band around the arm so that the vein would stand out, washed off a spot on the arm so he could inject the needle. Suyama believes the jar held from 300 to 500 cc, and all but a very small amount was injected into the Prisoner. Senba stopped before i t was all injected so that no air would get into the Prisoners blood stream. Suyama doesn’t know what the liquid was, but had heard that Senba was experimenting with sea water, and it might have been that. Ishiyama gave the orders to Senba to inject the sea water. Senba could inject the camphor without orders, but Ishiyama would have to give orders for a large injection like that since he was in charge of the operation.

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The Prisoner lost much blood. The lung was put in the pan. Suyama imagines the artery to the lung must have been tied, since she saw the clamp removed. The incision was sutured. Ishiyama did the suturing. Suyama noticed that the stitches were very far apart— only 2-3 stitches were taken, which surprised Suyama. Suyama then saw blood coming out of the incision and running down the Prisoners chest during and after the time the incision was sutured. After Ishiyama finished putting in the stitches, he wiped the blood from the Prisoner's chest and washed it with lysol or some other disinfectant. However, the blood continued to come out.

Suyama hadn't seen anything like this before; the doctors always stopped bleeding before they sewed up the incision; Suyama knows of no effort made to stop the flow of blood. Komori said the blood would be good to make bed bug poison. About 7 stitches would have been about normal in such an incision; this incision gapped open between stitches; there wasaaslow flow from the lower side. The Pri­soner was alive when Ishiyama was sewing the incision; must have died when Komori scooped out the blood.

5-10 minutes after the incision was sewed Komori went over to the Prisoner, re­moved the stitches, took out a glass cup and scooped blood out of the chest cavity.

Immediately after Ishiyama had-sewed the incision, he took off his gown and started washing his hands. The nurses were washing instruments, Komori talked to Ishiyama, then went over to the Prisoner and started to scoop blood, put it in a glass jar, and Suyama imagines that he took i t home with him. Ishiyama, not Komori, cut the stitches and Komori took out the blood. Miki saw this. Several of the doctors had already left, others were getting ready to go.

Besides helping Senba, Suyama passed instruments to Miki for a short time. After Ishiyama sewed the incision the first time, the doctors began talking in German, which Suyama doesn't understand. Miki and Suyama were the last left in the room, were ready to leave when Makino and another person stooped in the shoulders (Suyama then identifies picture of Goshima) came in .

Makino brought in some galls dishes. He and Goshima (?) asked for some instruments, Suyama gave some to him, which he returned several days later. Makino and Goshima (?) worked on the body. The skin on the neck had been cut, and it looked as though they were going to cut off the head. Suyama was very frightened, put gauze over her face. Miki and Suyama then brought the instruments, gowns and other equipment out to the cart in front of the Anatomy Building and went back to Ishiyama Surgery. Someone else took back the operating lamp, anesthetic, stand with the bottle which had contained the liq u id that was injected in the Prisoner, and other equipment. It was gone when they left.

Also, before Suyama left, she saw a servant in a dirty gown wearing glasses, bring in a coffin. Then Suyama is uncertain whether this man came in after the 1st operation, but he did come in after or during one of them. Suyama believes Tsutsui left with Ishiyama. Tsutsui during the operation moved around the opera­ting table; Suyama does not know what she did.

Either Mori or Torisu, who was on Ishiyama's left, helped by using retractors, absorb blood with gauze, probably helped when Ishiyama had completed making the

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incision, but Suyama did not see what was going on then. The man that Suyama believes was Hirao helped by using retractors and gauze. Ishiyama told either Mori or Torisu to look closely since he (either Mori or Torisu) was leaving for the south soon and would have to perform some operations like that. Mori had been recommended to go to a hospital in Kagoshima, and Ishiyama had an interest in Mori, so Suyama believes this was probably Mori rather than Torisu.

Komori was Ishiyama's main assistant, worked with him, in this 1st lung opera­tion. Suyama heard the motor that brought the Prisoners, didn't see it. Tsutsui and Suyama took off the Prisoner's shirt, trousers, and shoes, doesn't know what happened to his clothes. Suyama believes the incision was sutured when Suyama last saw the Prisoner, but isn't sure. Manabe and Yayama were not at this 1st, or lung, operation. Suyama recalls no other operation performed that day.

The operating lamp was used only for internal operations where the incision was deep and additional light needed. It was used many times at Ishiyama Surgery in addition to the large permanent ceiling light. The small lamp used at the anatomy room had a reflector, semi-spherical, about 7" in diameter, with 100 watt bulb, the reflector silver inside. The bulb and reflector were attached to a 30" handle, with a switch just below the reflector and bulb, the reflector turning in a socket at the end of the handle. There was also a stand in which the handle could be placed, and the lamp could have been used without anyone holding the lamp. At the operation just described, the lamp stand was not used. The light at this operation was sufficient. The operating lamp was used, and there were windows on 3 sides. Suyama watched Nogawa plug in the extension cord to one of the ceiling lights, noticed that the bulbs were out at the time.

The room, floor, and operating table were all dirty, and the Prisoner was very dirty except for where Suyama washed him, However, the doctors and instruments and equipment brought from Ishiyama Surgery were sanitary. Only once did Suyama attend a similar operation where the conditions were bad— this an emergency operation. Ishiyama Surgery was much cleaner. The Prisoner was still on the operating table when Suyama left. Kubo was not at this operation.

When they returned, Miki said she would clean the instruments, Ishiyama called Suyama to ask if his bath was ready, mentioned that the Prisoner had been a B-29 flyer, asked Suyama if she had been afraid. Later; Komori came in, had some specimen, probably the lung.

In the morning before the operation Torisu had asked Suyama "Didn't you hear?" learning she hadn't, told her to go to the nurses office, where Tsutsui told her there was to be an operation on a Prisoner. After the operation, Several nurses asked Miki and Suyama what had happened, having seen blood on the returned sheets. They first said it was nothing, then said that they had operated on an animal.

Suyama had thought it was an ordinary operation, held there because people might not like the idea that Prisoners were being brought to Ishiyama Surgery. The Prisoner seemed to be in good health, feels it probably was an experimental operation. Suyama had never seen such an operation before, to operate under unsanitary conditions, to sew up a Prisoner when still bleeding with stitches too far apart, then to rip them out, the Prisoner still alive.

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About 3 days after the first operation, about 1000, Tsutsui told Suyama that there was to be another operation like the former one, and Suyama got the gauze and gowns ready, checked the lamp; Miki prepared the instruments. About 1300 Miki and Suyama went to the first floor, put their equipment on a cart and went to the Anatomy Building, directly to the dissecting room. Someone must have told Miki what kind of an operation since otherwise she would not have known what instruments to bring. Senba probably brought the other equipment. Manabe went with Suyama and Miki. Yayama did not go with them; Suyama did not see her at this 2nd operation.

They took in the instruments. Senba was setting up his stand and jar with liquid in it by the window so it would not be in the way. Miki and Suyama went back to the front of the anatomy building to bring in the rest of the equipment; on return Ishiyama, Tsutsui, Hirao, Mori, Torisu and Senba were in the room, doesn't know whether Nogawa was there yet. The operating tables were still in the same position as when they left them after the 1st operation. Miki and Suyama began setting opt the instruments. Suyama is not clear as to the last 3 series, but she believes there were two operations this time, a brain and a stomach operation.

The instruments brought for the 2nd series were for a brain operation plus some for the other. There was a drill for drilling holes in the skull, a frame to place the patients head on, a Gigli saw for cutting the skull, hemostats, forceps scalpels, small pieces of metal used to lift out the part of the skull that was cut, some probes, and other instruments. As far as Suyama recalls, the head stand, sometimes used for head operations, was not used in this operation. The operating table was moved to the left and another table was set up next to it.

Suyama recalls little about the stomach operation since she assisted in the brain operation, for which the instrument table was set up at one side of the operating table, the Prisoner's head was toward the outside-windows. There was quite a bit of blood on the floor, which Suyama cleaned after the operation. The posi­tion of the Prisoner was similar as before. The jar with liquid in it was near one of the windows and Senba brought i t over to the side of the operating table where the brain operations was being performed. Tsutsui was moving from place to place. Sato was at the operation, stood quite close, but also walked about part of the time, watched both operations.

Ishiyama performed the brain operation, assisted by either Torisu or Morimoto. Komori performed the other operation. Miki passed the instruments to Ishiyama and his assistants. Suyama stood in back of the instrument table, saw there were sufficient instruments and sometimes passed them to Miki. Suyama set up 4 stools by the windows, put cans of gauze, sheets, and possiblyly so l on them, assisted by Manabe— these supplies were used for both operations. Miki set up pans of lysol as a disinfectant. Suyama helped the doctors put on rubber aprons while they washed their hands. Ishiyama, Komori, Mori, Torisu, Morimoto, and Hirao scrubbed for the operation. Suyama believes that Lin and Sha observed.

Suyama only remembers seeing one of the Prisoners brought in— for the brain operation. He was brought by stretcher, asleep, by soldiers, was of average height, not too tall for an American, but taller than a Japanese, had curly short h air, reddish in color; blindfolded, the blindfold not taken off, was wearing very dirty clothes. Ishiyama told Suyama to shave his head, cut the hair short; then shaved the area where Ishiyama said the operation was to be

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performed— doesn't recall whether this was front or side, believes on the side, with the Prisoner facing down.

Sato came in when the Prisoner was brought in , talked to Ishiyama. Manabe was at the operation, but helped on the other.

Senba injected camphor when necessary in amounts, probably, of 1 cubic centimeter each time— believes he did this twice. About the time the skull was opened, he made an injection in the Prisoner's arm. There were probably 300-500 cc in the jar and he injected most of it, just as at the 1st operation. He probably did it by himself because Suyama did not remember seeing anyone who helped him.

Suyama believes the Prisoner had had anesthetic before being brought to the Anatomy building, but possible a lo ca l was given in the area about the operation, but Suyama didn't see it done.

Ishiyama placed a cloth over the Prisoner's head, and it had an opening in it just over the operating area. Suyama couldn't see it very well, but had seen other brain operations. Ishiyama cut a flap in the scalp 8-10 centimeters wide. When the flap was pulled back, the membrane underneath was scraped away. Either Torisu or Morimoto was his chief assistant.Torisu or Morimoto and Ishiyama drilled holes in the skull. Ishiyama, Torisu and Morimoto used a syringe and shot some sort of disinfectant on the drill when it was taken out to remove the bone dust— did this several times. Ishiyama then took the Gigli saw and inserted i t under the skull, sawed the skull and changed blades several times. Suyama washed the bone dust from between the teeth of the blades and sterilized them. Suyama doesn't remember whether anyone other than Ishiyama did any of the sawing.

When the skull was cut, Ishiyama removed the skull section that had been sawed, and he put it on some gauze and placed it on the instrument table. The edges were slightly curved, but the skull section was not round. There was quite a bit of bleeding, but many clamps were used to stop the flow of blood. Suyama doesn't recall an aspirator being used. Torisu, Morimoto, and perhaps Hirao used gauze to absorb the blood. Senba made an injection. Suyama doesn't remem­ber who held the operating lamp.

Once inside the brain, Suyama did not observe, since she was cleaning the saw blades. Either Morimoto or Torisu was Ishiyama's main assistant.

While the brain operation was going on, the stomach operation was started. Either Miki or Manabe told Suyama they were short of thread for the 2nd opera­tion, so Suyama telephoned Ishiyama Surgery, waited outside for someone to bring it over, then went for it herself, being gone 15-20 minutes. Since Suyama was directly under Tsutsui, had no specific duties, and could move around.

On Suyama's return, the brain operation was still being performed, but Suyama went to the 2nd table and helped Manabe, bringing her instruments with a sterile pincer and took the Prisoner's pulse. Suyama looked over and saw Ishiyama with a needle and thread in his hand, thinks he was about to sew the scalp back. This Prisoner did not seem to be sick or wounded in any way. The Prisoner died; when they left his body was still on the table; no one was taking care of it. Suyama doesn't believe that his clothes were removed.

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Before Suyama went after the thread, she stopped near Manabe, who was helping at the stomach operation. Komori was doing the operating, helped by Mori and Hirao. Komori made an incision in the abdomen from the chest to about the navel, and Mori and Hirao were putting in retractors to p u ll back the flesh and open the incision. When Suyama returned, Komori, Mori, and Hirao were cutting the membrane and blood vessels leading to the stomach. Each blood vessel had to be tied off to keep it from bleeding, which takes quite a while.

The thread was used to tie off membranes, arteries, or to sew openings in the flesh. The thread is numbered 0 to 9. Usually number 2 or 3 was used for in­ternal organs and membranes.

Manabe passed instruments to Komori and his assistants. Suyama watched the 2nd operation for a short time, saw Komori cut the stomach out. Suyama brought a pan over, then received i t back with what was probably the entire stomach, put it on one of the stools. About this time the brain operation was over and Suyama helped the doctors from that operation take off their operating gowns, clean up, and get ready to leave. At the table involving the stomach operation, Komori, Mori and Hirao were looking inside the incision, pointing at something and talking. Suyama then went about her job of cleaning up.

Suyama saw no one sew the incision in the 2nd Prisoner, but Suyama did not notice that it was left open, so someone must have sutured it. Suyama did not see the Prisoner afterwards. Suyama believes that she, Manabe and Miki were the la st people in the room. The Prisoners were left on the operating tables just as they had been during the operations.

Suyama remembers that after eveyy operation there was someone in the room after the operations were over. The first time Suyama remembers because Makino borrowed instruments from her and she saw the head being cut off. This 2nd time there was someone there, but she doesn't remember who. They were working on the Pri­soners' bodies. Suyama believes both Prisoners were dead because no one stayed to take care of them. Suyama looked at the removed stomach, saw nothing wrong with it. Usually the doctors talk it over and talk to the patient, but this time they started to operate without saying anything— the Prisoner was already under anesthetic.

Usually, in stomach operations, only the diseased portion is removed. Here, all or almost all of the stomach was removed, Suyama never saw that much removed before. It would have been very difficult for the Prisoner to digest any food if he had lived , which she doubts was possible.

The staff officers watched Ishiyama peform the brain operation, then left when he finished; they looked at the stomach operation a few times; talked to Komori and Ishiyama. The soldiers left with the Officers, which included Sato. This Suyama identified Aihara by a picture, but she doesn't know what time he was present.

Sanitary conditions of the 2nd operation were like the 1st— bad. The Prisoner of the brain operation was still clothed when Suyama left. Possibly Nogawa or Tsutsui held the lamp. Someone, probably Manabe, came over to the brain opera­tion, asked to borrow the lamp. Nogawa made a funny face as though he did not want the lamp to be used at the other table. So Suyama thinks Nogawa must have been holding it. There was only one lamp, and i t was brought over to the sto­-

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mach operation after the brain operation was finished.

Third series of operations: About 3-4 days later Tsutsui told Suyama to help again, Suyama knowing what i t was though she wasn't told. About 1300 Miki, Yayama, Manabe, and Suyama took the supplies and equipment down to a cart in front of Ishiyama Surgery, and went over to the Anatomy Building. Probably the doctors brought the rest of the equipment. There was only one table set up in the Dissection Room. The nurses got out the disinfectant, set up pans of lysol, got things arranged. Senba was there, had his jar and stand, placed them by one of the windows. This time his jar was full; was a 1000 cc bottle.

Ishiyama, Mori, Hirao, Morimoto, Tsutsui, and possibly Nogawa and Torisu then came in. Ishiyama told the doctors how to arrange the room. Two operating tables were set up, and a 3rd table was set up near the middle of the room. The anesthetic table was set up near the windows. Two of the tables were slabs like the ones used when bodies are dissected. Doesn't know whether other table was wooden or not.

10-15 minutes later, everything was set up. Suyama doesn't believe the aspira­tor was brought. The doctors were walking in and out of the room, waiting for the Prisoners to come. Suyama, Senba, and one of the other nurses went outside and sat on the grass. In a l i t t l e while 2 army sedans drove up, and 3 Prisoners, some soldiers, and officers got out, came in the building. They (nurses and Senba) went back to make fin a l preparations. The doctors scrubbed their hands, as well as Miki and Manabe. The doctors put on their gowns.

The Prisoners walked into the Anatomy Building by themselves, not under anesthetic but when the soldiers brought them in the operating room they were asleep, operating tables were in the end of the room where all the windows were, the tables parallel to one another. 2 unconscious Prisoners were brought in on stretchers; one was put on each operating table. Suyama had looked down the hallway a few minutes before and saw the Japanese soldiers leading the Prisoners. They were still blindfolded at that time, and their hands were tied behind their backs.

One of the Prisoners brought in was let alone for a long period of time until the 1st 2 had been operated on. The 1st operation was a liver operation. The patient looked like an American, was larger than a Japanese, wore very dirty khaki clothes, had a strong B.O. Tsutsui and Suyama strapped his legs. This is usual. Someone removed the Prisoner's trousers, shoes, and shirt. His under­ shirt was cut off around the chest. The operating cloth, with a slit in it, was placed over the Prisoner's body.

The table was not washed, was quite dirty. Someone washed and shaved the Prisoner's abdomen and put some antiseptic on it. Ishiyama and Komori were the chief surgeons. Mori stood on Ishiyama's left, Miki was on his right, passing him instruments. Komori was across the table from Ishiyama, Hirao was next to Komori. Seriba stood at the head of the table, with an anesthetic and medicine table behind him. Doing the operation Seriba shot at least two camphor injec­tions, also took the patient's pulse. The lamp wag used, and held over Ishiyama's shoulder. Suyama believes Tsutsui held it. Suyama does not rememberseeing Nogawa at this series of operations.

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Ishiyama made the incision. Komori, his main assistant, helped in making the incision, held the clamps that stretched the flesh so that the incision could be made properly. Mori and Hirao put in retractors and soaked the blood up with gauze. Morimoto watched, but did not participate. Manabe and Suyama stood in back of the instrument tables. Suyama asked probably Tsutsui what the operation was; she said it was liver operation. The incision was made on the abdomen, was several inches long.

The room was warm; the doctors were tense as if something was going wrong or if there were some difficulty. Suyama didn't see what was being done inside the incision. Suyama moved from place to place, went over to the 2nd Prisoner, and with Yayama was talking about how good looking he was. When Suyama got back to the first operation, the liver had already been removed, was in a pan; Suyama doesn't know whether it was a whole liver or not.

The 3rd Prisoner was then brought in, placed on the table where the liver opera­tion had been performed. There was a lot of blood in this operation, and much gauze was used to absorb the blood. After it had been used, the doctors threw it in pans on the floor and one of the nurses picked it up later. There was more blood at this operation than any other on the Prisoners. Then the Prisoner was taken to the other table, the sheet was left over the body.

When the first operation was completed, Ishiyama told someone to place the Pri­soner on the other table and bring in the 3rd Prisoner. The army officers just stood around and watched. Today, Suyama believes it was probably experimental; at the time she did not.

2nd operation of the 3rd series; 5 minutes after the 1st operation, the 3rd Pri­soner was brought in on a stretcher. The doctors were scrubbing. The Prisoner had his clothes on; his trousers, shirt and shoes were removed. Sha, Lin, and Iwasaki (Tei) were present; helped to do some things, such as, probably, helping to undress the Prisoners, possibly held the operating lamp.

The abdomen of the Prisoner was washed and rubbed with alcohol. Iodine was then applied. Suyama believes his clothes were khaki; he and his clothing were very dirty. The blindfold was left over his eyes. He was already under anesthesia when he was brought into the operating room. No more was given.

Ishiyama performed this operation, Komori was his assistant. Hirao was on Ishiyama's left, Miki on his right, Komori was across the table. Suyama believes Morimoto assisted on Komori's side. Lin, Sha, and Iwasaki (Tei) were standing near the table, moved from place to place so they could see the operation. Senba stood by the Prisoner's head and took the pulse. Tsutsui was in back of Ishiyama, held the light part of the time. Sato was in back of Ishiyama and the other staff officers stood nearby. There were 4 soldiers in the room. The instrument table was at the Prisoner's feet. Manabe was behind the instrument table, on the side away from the operating table. These people moved from place to place.

At the beginning of this operation, Suyama was busy picking gauze, setting up the disinfectant, washing instruments, bringing more instruments to the table, cleaning up wherever necessary, so Suyama did not see the incision being made. By the time Suyama had done this, the incision had been made. At about that time Ishiyama said someone would have to start on the other Prisoner. Komori and Hirao left and went to the 2nd table. Yayama had scrubbed, and her hands were clean;

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she went over to pass instruments to Komori. Suyama came over and either Hirao or Komori told her to shave the Prisoner. Suyama shaved his right groin. Senba set up his stand with the jar of liquid. Suyama helped Senba put a tourniquet around the Prisoner's arm so that the needle could be inserted in the vein. This needle led from the tube which carried the liquid from the jar.

Komori made an incision about 2 inches long in the Prisoner's leg, clamped the artery and then cut it. Hirao helped him make the incision, put on the clamps. The artery was lifted up slightly. Komori cut the artery between the clamps and inserted a rubber tube in the end of the artery that was closest to the heart. The tube led to a container that was standing on the floor. As the blood flowed out, Senba let the liquid from the jar flow into the Prisoner's arm. The doctors just stood and watched. There was about 1000 cc in the bottle; all of it was injected into the Prisoner, Suyama imagines that about that much blood was taken out too. Suyama helped Senba tie the arm before the needle was injected.

Several times Komori stopped the flow of blood because it was coming out faster than the sea water was going in. Suyama was moving around the room; when she walked away from that operation, the Prisoner was still alive, could tell by his breathing. Later he died, probably in just a few minutes since the artery was not sewed and the bleeding was allowed to continue.

Suyama does not believe that the artery was sewed and the incision closed after­ward, Yayama probably stayed until the operation was completed since she was there to help Komori.

Cutting the artery is no treatment for anything Suyama knows about. It seemed to her that Komori and Hirao just cut the artery and let the Prisoner bleed to death. They did nothing to keep him alive. Senba injected the water at the leg operation.

This Prisoner was slender, of good build, had very light hair. His pants and underwear were removed; Suyama placed a piece of gauze over his privates. He was let on the table after the operation was performed. The blood might have been taken to see how much blood could be taken from a body and how much of the fluid, probably sea water, could be injected and still have the patient live.

Qhen Hirao and Komori completed the 2nd operation, the one being performed by Ishiyama, Mori, and Morimoto took their places. Ishiyama's operation was com­pleted just about the time that Komori and Hirao were through. Komori and Hirao came back to the first operating table. Someone said something about cutting the heart. Suyama could not see what kind of an operation that Ishiyama had been performing but he made the incision larger toward the heart. Suyama could not see the Prisoner's stomach in the abdomen, so Suyama thinks he operation had been on the stomach. However she did not see the stomach anyplace.

Someone reached into the chest cavity and pulled it down slightly. Someone said, "Have you a watch." When the time was right, a cut was made in the Prisoner's heart. The cut was about 3" long. A lot of blood started to flow out. However, there was already quite a bit where the other operation had been performed. Suyama is not sure whether Komori or Ishiyama made the incision. The same per­son who made it sewed the incision up— this was done almost as soon as the cut had been made.

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The Prisoner was alive when the incision was made in the heart and when it was being sutured, but he was breathing very slowly when the suturing was completed. The doctors started talking about the time. Suyama believes the operation must have had something to do with how long the Prisoner would live with his heart cut or how long it would take to sew it up. Suyama doesn't believe that the original incision was sutured.

Suyama, Miki, Manabe, Yayama, Komori, Ishiyama, Hirao, and the person with the watch watched the heart incision. The others were washing their hands. The army officers had left about the time the stomach operation was completed. The 3 Prisoners must have all been dead before Suyama left the building.

The doctors then took off their gowns, washed their hands, left. The nurses picked up the equipment, took it back to Ishiyama Surgery on a cart. Suyama saw no coffins. Suyama saw no coffins. Suyama left before the other 3 nurses. Someone else came into the room.

About 1800 Suyama saw Ishiyama and Komori in Ishiyama Surgery laughing and talking together. Komori had a pan in his hands with a liver in it.

The lamp was used at the 1st operation— the liver— and,Suyama believes,on the stomach operation, but not on all operations. Probably Tsutsui or Iwasaki (Tei) held the lamp at the stomach operation. The nurses talked a bit about the heart operations but that was all. These operations were not performed for the bene­fit of the Prisoners— the doctors could have done more for them.

A few days after the 3rd series the last series was conducted, but it is not clear in Suyama's mind. 2 operations were performed, one a lung operation, and Suyama believes the other operation was a heart operation, but is not certain.

Suyama remembers seeing the 2 Prisoners. A special instrument was used, belonging to Ishiyama, for cutting ribs— for lung operations. Suyama believes the same people were present at this operation. ( Ishiyama, Torisu, Hirao, Mori, Senba, Nogawa, Komori, Tashiro, Lin, Sha, Tei (Iwasaki), Sato, Morimoto ??) Suyama doesn't know whether Manabe, Yayama and Miki were there. Suyama did not see them arrive.

Suyama saw 8 Prisoners altogether, in this order: 1, 2, 3, 2. The first time there was a lung operation, the 2nd a brain and stomach; the 3rd a liver opera­tion on one Prisoner, an artery on the 2nd Prisoner, a stomach operation on the 3rd, who also had his heart cut. Suyama believes that there were lung and brain operations the 4th times.

The sanitary Conditions were consistently bad in all 4 series; the building was not clean, the floors were dirty as well as the rafters, the tables. That brought from Ishiyama Surgery was sterile.

After the war, Suyama came back to the University, saw Tsutsui, who told her that the Americans were investigating, that Suyama, Miki, Manabe and Yayama would not have to worry, that she would take the responsibility, and that they had just acted on the orders of the doctors.

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Suyama only saw anesthetic give at the Anatomy Building in the first operation, but at the 3rd operations the Prisoners walked in, and they must have been given anesthetic.

Nogawa did not participate in any of the operations that she remembers. He was there and held the lamp sometimes, but did not use his hands on any patients.

Suyama didn't see the Prisoner's die, but no care was taken of them after the operations, and from some of the operations Suyama knows they died. In Suyama's opinion the doctors wanted the patients to live during the operations, but since they did not care for them afterwards they probably wanted them to die.