Anniversary Cache Traditional Geocache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Located near the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Shouldn't be too difficult to find, but other cachers note that available parking near the cache becomes invalid from the hours of 4-6 PM (you should be able to find coin-operated meters nearby). Make arrangements accordingly!
---------------
This cache guards a plaque dedicated to American civilians who perished during a set of Cold War-era radiation experiments conducted at the University of Cincinnati.
The Cincinnati Experiments were a set of Cold War-era medical tests designed to examine the effects of radiation on the human body. The Department of Energy commissioned this series of tests during the 1960s to 1970s and directed its application at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Over the period of 12 years, some 90 individuals were exposed to extremely high levels of radiation on campus property and studied to help the DOE determine the effects of Soviet or American nuclear detonations on human life. Within 60 days of exposure, 25 of the patients passed away from complications due to acute radiation sickness. The highest dosage recorded during these experiments exceeded 200 rads in one session; to put this in perspective, the USA EPA recognizes that an acute dose of 100 rads can increase an individual’s cancer risk by 0.8%.
One UC professor, Martha Stephens, had been made aware of these secret experiments towards the end of their cycle. In 1972, she announced publicly that these test subjects, mostly poor and African-American, had been irreversibly harmed or killed during these operations, with no consideration for the ethical ramifications. Again, in 1994, during federal hearings investigating the content of this and several other Cold War-era experiments, the events in the UC Medical Center were given further exposure. Finally, in 1999, the families of the civilians killed during the Cincinnati Experiments successfully sued the University, the city of Cincinnati, and the researchers involved, and won. Part of the $3.5 million settlement was a stipulation that the University was required to establish a memorial to those test subjects.
As a result, the University set the memorial in a place they deemed fitting: The memorial currently sits in the shadow of the University Hospital Sabin Way Garage and the University Hospital Operating wing, well out of view of travelers and pedestrians. After finding this memorial at the behest of my fiance, we both vowed to place a geocache in this secret, and yet sobering, place. We hope this cache, planted on our anniversary, will serve as a reminder of those who had their chance to explore the world taken away from them.
Additional information can be found in the book ‘The Treatment’ (Duke University Press) by Dr. Martha Stephens.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
oruvaq gur ohfurf