Things You Won't See In The Oppenheimer Movie

Human experimentation

The atomic bomb embodies a paradox of human ingenuity and moral failure. On one hand, it represents a monumental scientific achievement, the result of breakthroughs in nuclear physics, mathematics, and engineering. It encapsulates the power of human intellect and its capacity to uncover and harness the fundamental forces of the universe. However, on the other hand, it epitomises an egregious moral transgression, a stark reminder of the potential for science to be misapplied for destructive purposes.

Even though the Nazis has already been defeated, these bombs were still dropped. They could have been dropped on any deserted island to show the world what power the US had at their disposal, but no, they decided to drop the bombs on civilians. The devastation caused by the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki attests to the horrifying consequences of this technological advancement, turning cities into wastelands and snuffing out countless innocent lives in an instant. The atomic bomb, thus, stands as a stark testament to the dual nature of scientific progress - a beacon of intellectual achievement, and a harbinger of unprecedented destruction.

And as if the final result of the atomic bomb wasn’t terrible enough, other terrible things were done in the name of science whilst it was being developed.

During the course of the Manhattan Project, employees were concerned about the newly identified elements and their undetermined health impacts. At the time, the biochemical consequences of plutonium or uranium were not fully understood by scientists, despite their extensive use in bomb construction.

In 1942, the Project's leaders initiated a Health Division to protect workers, the public, and study radiation hazards. Despite collecting data from various sources and conducting animal experiments, the data proved insufficient to establish worker safety guidelines.

Scientists across the country started racing against time to understand the risks posed to Manhattan Project workers and devise protection strategies. Data was gathered from instruments, blood and urine samples, and physical exams. Radiation experiments were conducted on animals at laboratories in Chicago, Berkeley, and Rochester. Despite this, medical experts concurred that the gathered data was inadequate to determine radiation guidelines for workers.

In 1944, the medical team, headed by Dr. Stafford Warren, decided to undertake controlled human experiments. Expect for they missed out one small detail…they forgot to inform the humans involved.