Statements Concerning Senba

Statement of Manabe 2nd series of operations - stomach resection - The stomach was completely removed and the intestine attached to the trachea. (ed. - esophagus?) The incision was then sutured. Either Senba, Nogawa, or Tashiro, one of whom was standing at the head of the Prisoner, took the Prisoner's pulse and made a written record of it. Senba gave the ether to the Prisoner.

(In the stomach operation??) Senba continued to record the Prisoner's pulse after the incision was sutured. About 20 minutes after the stomach resection, Ishiyama completed the brain operation. Manabe believes Senba also gave the ether for this operation; there was only one device for giving ether at the operations and as Manabe recalls he used it alternately on both Prisoners.

3rd series of operations - The 3rd PW was on a dissecting table in the far, or eastern, part of the room; the table was parallel with the length of the room and the Prisoner's head was toward the east. Komori cut out a large blood vessel in the Prisoner's right leg and proceeded to drain the blood out of the body. At the same time Senba was injecting a fluid into the same Pri­soner's left arm blood vessel. He told her that it was seawater. He was using a container with about 1000 cc capacity, and he filled this many times while Komori continued to drain the blood out of the Prisoner's leg. This Prisoner died, Manabe heard from Senba, before they left the room.

Senba wrote notes on the experiment of the 3rd PW in which sea water was in­jected and blood was drained.

Statement of Yayama (30 July 1947) 1st series of operations? Persons present during these 3 operations on this date: Torisu, Komori, Suyama, Manabe, Tsutsui, Hirao, Miki, Ishiyama, Senba, Yayama.

At the 2nd table, (leg operation) Senba stood by the Prisoner's left arm, which had been extended to another table. Senba injected sea water into the arm of the Prisoner, changed bottles quite often. Each bottle held about 500 cc of sea water. Yayama doesn't know how many bottles he used.

Senba injected sea water in the Prisoner's left arm, stood next to Hirao and Komori stood on the other side of Hirao. All the doctors stood on the left side of the Prisoner.

Senba assisted Hirao and Komori operate on the 2nd Prisoner by injecting sea water into the left arm of the Prisoner, took Prisoner's pulse.

After operations Miki, Manabe and Yayama returned to the 1st Surgery Clinic. Remaining in the Autopsy Room at that time: Ishiyama, Komori, Hirao, Senba, Mori, Morimoto, Suyama.

Statement of Nogawa (2-25 June 1947) 1st operations - Nogawa went himself to the Autopsy Section about 1500, where there were present Ishiyama, Komori, and Sato. Near the hall and also on the left side of the room were Hirao, Torisu, Senba, and head nurse Tsutsui.

Senba stood near the Prisoner's (1st PW operated on that day) head.

Statement of Nogawa Cont'd. 1st series of operations - 1st operation - When the lung was nearly removed, Ishiyama and Komori became excited be­ cause the vein or the artery to this section of the lung began to bleed badly. Komori asked Senba, "Isn't the pulse rate bad?" Senba replied that it was.

Ishiyama then ordered Senba to inject a colorless fluid into the Prisoner's arm, said, "Begin the injection into the artery," which Senba did, inject­ing about 800 cc of the fluid into the Prisoner. Senba then said that the pulse rate had improved greatly. Ishiyama turned to Sato and said, "What was just injected was sea-water properly diluted and filtered." The pleura was then put back in place, the ribs replaced, and the gauze placed over the in­cision.

Senba also recorded the pulse and blood pressure of the Prisoner, upon which he took notes.

3rd series of operations - 2-3, perhaps Manabe, Miki and Nogawa carried some instruments over to the Autopsy Section class room where the operations were to be performed. Nogawa then went out alone to a grassy area behind the autopsy section to wait the arrival of the Prisoners. Senba, and perhaps a few others were waiting about 20' away.

After prisoners arrived, Nogawa stood near the rear entrance of the Autopsy Section for a few minutes, then went into the Autopsy Class Room where the operations were held via the rear entrance. One Prisoner was already covered with an operating sheet. In the room were Ishiyapa, Hirako, Komori, Mori, Hirao, Morimoto, Senba, Tsutsui and 2-3 other nurses, including, perhaps, Miki.

Statement of Suyama (20 July - 1 August 1947) operation - lung - Nurses took instruments to dissecting room. 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 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 Bldg. There were some doctors from Ishiyama Surgery who went there about the same time, but they walked separately— Suyama believes these were Senba and Nogawa.

After nurses began arranging dissecting roam, Ishiyama then came in the room with Torisu, Hirao, Mori, Senba, Nogawa and Komori.

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 anesthetics 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

Statement of Suyama Cont'd. .... 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.

The doctors came into the room. Ishiyama told Senba to give some anesthetic to the Prisoner who was brought in, and Senba then prepared his anesthetics. 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 hair. The Japanese soldiers took him into a little room near the dissection room, and Senba went there to administer the anesthetic.

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 Prisoner's face and he put several drops of anesthetic on it.

1st operation - lung -- 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.

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.

Senba stopped before it was all injected so that no air would get into the Pri­soner's 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.

Besides helping Senba, Suyama passed instruments to Miki for a short time.

2nd series - Someone must have told Miki what kind of an operation since other­wise she would not have known what instalments to bring. Senba probably brought the other equipment.

They (Manabe, Suyama and Miki) 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 bldg, 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.

1st operation - 2nd series - stomach - The jar with the liquid in it was near one of the windows and Senba brought it over to the side of the operating table where the brain operation was being performed.

Brain operation - 2nd PW - 2nd series.

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 ccs in the jar and he injected most of it, just as the in the 1st operation. He probably did it by himself because Suyama did not remember seeing anyone who helped him.

Statement of Suyama Cont'd. .... 2nd series - brain operation - Senba made an injection.

3rd series of operations - 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.

When everything was set up in preparation for operation, Suyama Senba, and one of the other nurses went outside and sat on the grass. In a little 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 final pre­parations.

Liver operation - Senba stood at the head of the table, with anesthetic and medi­cine table behind him. During the operation Senba shot at least two camphor injections, also took the patient’s pulse.

Stomach and Heart operation - Senba stood by the Prisoner's head and took the pulse.

Leg Artery - Senba set up his stand with the jar of liquid. Suyama helped Senba put a tourniquet around the Prisoner's arm so the needle could be in­serted in the vein. This needle led from the tube which carried the liquid from the jar.

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.

Senba injected the water at the leg operation.

4th series - Suyama believes the same people were present at this operation. (Ishiyama, Torisu, Hirao, Mori, Senba, Nogawa, Komori, Tashiro, Lin, Sha, Tei, Sato, Morimoto, Tsutsui ?)

Statement of Tanaka (23 May 1947) 1st operation - The Prisoner's left arm was outstretched on the dissecting table, which was placed horizontally beside Ishiyama, and a doctor, probably from the Surgical Section, was recording the blood pressure (Senba?).