The Man Who Lived Inside a Dead Body, His Family Watched for 83 Days

 00:00:00 - 00:20:00The video tells the story of Hisashi Ouchi, a man who suffered severe radiation poisoning in an accident at work in Japan in 1999. Despite looking fine to the medical staff, his body was slowly deteriorating due to radiation exposure, and he became the most irradiated man in history. His family refused to let him go, and Ouchi's three-month-long battle for survival in a body falling apart at the seams is the main topic of this video. The video also discusses the debate over the benefits and risks of nuclear power as a source of energy, given that nuclear fission poses serious risks to human safety and the environment.See more00:00:00 In this section of the video, the narrator introduces the story of Hisashi Ouchi, a man who suffered severe radiation poisoning in an accident at work in Tokaimura Nuclear Plant in Japan in September 1999. Despite looking fine to the medical staff, Ouchi's body was slowly deteriorating due to the radiation, and he became the most irradiated man in history. His family refused to let him go, and Ouchi's three-month-long battle for survival in a body falling apart at the seams is the main topic of this video. The video is sponsored by Klima, a monthly subscription service that helps offset your carbon footprint by providing support to projects that help improve lives across the world.00:05:00 In this section, a nuclear accident involving Hisashi Ouchi, Masato Shinohara, and supervisor Yutaka Yokokawa is described. The workers were supposed to mix 2.4 kilos of enriched uranium, but ended up manually mixing 16 kilos in steel buckets, resulting in an eruption of Cerenkov radiation that left all three men faced with nausea and gamma radiation exposure. After being exposed to 17 sieverts, Ouchi was moved to the Tokyo University Hospital where doctors attempted to save his life despite his fatal exposure. They searched for a donor to give Ouchi's body the ability to produce its own white blood cells, which was discovered in one of Ouchi's siblings. It took ten days to discover if the procedure worked, but in that time Ouchi was able to have conversations with his loved ones and nurses before his body started showing signs of radiation sickness.00:10:00 In this section, we see that Ouchi's family was brought in to see his condition as it deteriorated, and medical staff considered putting him on a ventilator that would have prevented him from speaking to his family. Although senbazuru couldn't be brought into Ouchi's room because of his low white blood cell count, his family still folded them all the same. Ouchi's blood was tested ten days after his sibling's white blood cell count was transfused into his body and Dr Maekawa spotted two red dots in one blood cell under the microscope, showing that the white blood cells successfully implanted. However, the chromosomes were damaged due to the intensity of the radiation, causing cells to mutate and emit radiation on their own. Ouchi's condition worsened as his cells walling his intestines began to die, and the bacteria soon threatened sepsis. Ultimately, a skin transplant was needed, but Dr Maekawa noted that the cultured skin didn’t adhere to his body because of his deteriorating condition. Medical staff continued to intervene despite slim chances of recovery, with some members of the team being afraid to verbalize doubts.00:15:00 In this section, we see the tragic end to Hisashi Ouchi's battle with radiation exposure. The medical team had reached a deadlock, and after 81 days, Dr. Maekawa suggested a Do Not Resuscitate order, which Ouchi's family agreed to. Ouchi's wife dropped off paper cranes and expressed her wish to ring in the new year with him, but Ouchi passed away two days later on December 21, 1999. Dr. Maekawa retired after being painfully aware of the disasters that humans could cause, and he spent his time creating procedures for treating radiation exposure. Nuclear power accounts for at least 10% of the entire world's power generation, making discussions about its use and safety paramount, especially after recent events at Fukushima and Chernobyl.00:20:00 In this section, the video discusses the debate over the benefits and risks of nuclear power as a source of energy. While some argue that nuclear power can end our dependence on non-renewable resources like natural gas and crude oil, others believe that the risks associated with nuclear fission are too high. Unlike renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, nuclear power still requires the use of finite resources and the storage of radioactive waste. Regardless of personal opinions about the treatment of Masato Ouchi and his family's decision to prolong his life, it is difficult to say for certain how we would feel in their position.