After receiving a whole body dose of 10 Gy, what initial symptoms would a victim experience?

After receiving a whole body dose of 10 Gy, the initial symptoms a victim would experience are referred to as prodromal symptoms. At this high level of radiation exposure, the individual enters the acute radiation syndrome (ARS) phase, where these symptoms arise shortly after exposure.

Prodromal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and general malaise. These symptoms typically occur within minutes to hours following exposure and can last from a few hours to several days. They indicate the body's immediate response to the intense level of radiation received, reflecting the impact on the gastrointestinal and central nervous systems.

In this context, sudden death is not typically an immediate response to radiation exposure but may occur later due to the severity of the damage caused. A latent period refers to a time frame where symptoms may not present immediately, which is not applicable here since the prodromal symptoms occur almost right after exposure. Hair loss, while a possible consequence of radiation over time, generally does not manifest immediately and is considered a later symptom following the loss of a significant number of cells due to radiation damage. Thus, when considering the timeline and types of symptoms that follow a 10 Gy whole body dose, prodromal symptoms are the defining initial reactions.