RADIUM.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1974, 3 February 1914, Page 3

RADIUM.

CURE FOR CANCER, LONDON EXPERIMENTS.' Isi view of the particulars which havo teen made avftilablo with regard to tho us<? of racliiim as a euro for eaiieef, it Will be of interest to give some information as to tho work pcrfo-nrcd in London in tluE connection. The work aecomjilislicd by the l\a(Uiim Institute in J.,ondou radiates (in more senses than one) throughout tho British Empire, and tho results of its csjJerim«.nts iu-o felt in New South nales as elsewhere. The invention, by wliiek tubes of radium emanations are made available at comparatively small cost, lias 'completely altered tho whole situation with regard to tho use of radium, whose prohibitive cost . has hitherto restricted its use. The action of radium on human tissues was unkiiQiHi until 1901, when Professor Bccqiierol, of Paris, hiiving incautiously carried a tube in his waisteoairpocket, there appeared on tho skin withm 14 days a sever©- inflammation, which was known as the famous "Bectiuerel burn." • gi.nee that- timo active investigation into tho action of radium on diseased tissues has been carried on, resulting in tho establishment in Paris in 1906 of tlio "Laboratoiro biologiquo du Radium," and iu London of the Hadirnn Institute in 1911. Similar centres havo been established in other countries. Iho different varieties of rays used are controlled by tho intervention of screens or filtering substances, such as silver, lead, or' aluminium. Rtdiuin itself was first obtained from pitchblende, a uranium mineral, by M. and Mme. Cnrie and O. Bemont, in 1893, si) that its employment for medical or any other purposes has covered a period vf only 15 years. j

Tho London institute, The Radium Institute in London, which is responsible for tho distribution or practically all tho precious material which' is used in England; and, imked, m many other parts of tho world, originated in a, suggestion msld© by j£ing Kdivard VII, and its existence was duo to the generosity of Lord Ivoagh and Sir Ernest Casscl. its presidents. They bought- the site in Hiding House Street, ffost London, upon which tho institute Stands, erected and equipped the build' ing for tho special purposo for which it is used, and provided the money for the purchase of its stock «rf radium, niid for tho best possible appliances for tho work of the institute. Tho building contains duplicate sets of apartments, one sot being for the accottimodflticm of paying patients, and the other and similar set for tho accommodation of tho poor. No patient, whether rieh er poor, is seen by tho staff, except on tho introduction of a medical practitiouor, and tnost of tho poor patients arc sent to tho institute by tho medical -officers of hospitals. During tlio first 11, months of last year about 800 patients wero treated, 'consisting of paying ami non-paying patients, in equal proportions. During tho year about 3000 treatments were adiministered to woll-to«do patients, and 4300 treatments to tho afflicted poor. In. order'that full um might bo made, of its stock of radium, tho institute ia kept open for 16 lioure daily—from 8 a.m. until midnight—and ' the staff, which -consists of three- doctors, five female nurses, throe male nurses, the director of the laboratory, and two assistants, work in tvfp shifts. So high was the pressure of tlio work oji the staff, that it was found necessary to eloso tko institute sitarinjn; thtf'montli.'of■.Aiißtisf,'' in order tlmfc the staff, all of ; wjiom had had their hands burned owing to the action of the radium, might have a hoii» day and tho rest which is tho only known cure for ilia burns.

A GostJy Material, Hμ quantity of radium in the pose&ssion ot tlio institute is four grammes, ivhich, at its present reputed is of a value of_ £80,(300. All that is now liekt by the institiito.is of tho highest degree of purity. A largo proportion of that now in use elsewhere is of half strength, and quantities havo beca sold of 25 per cent, and oven 75 per cent, of tlio standard strength. "Wo know mo other inst;tirt& in the world," said Sir Frederick Troves, the chairman of the executive committee, recently, "hoHiiig as much as four grammes of radimn for cufativo purposes, and I am disposed to believe that if you could colkctall tlsio radhim in the frorld us«d onteido this institute for therapeutic purposes, you' would find tliat it is not so much as four grammes, Therefore, alt-ihougli tiiorc has been some clamour about tire lack of radium in this country, England is better off than any other country in. regard to the quantity available." Radium Cases. Tho scientific oommitteo of tho if.stitiito has demonstrated that the emanation of the gas given off by radium Ims exactly tho samo properties fts pnre radium, and. is as efficient as puro radium for curative purposes. The difficult problem of making use of this emanation has been solved by tho. invention of hollow plntc3 of varied forms, into whieTi tlio emanation is forced- by pumping, and fixed by being put in liquid air. The emanation is also stored in small gkvss tubes, and the institute is thus able to send supplies' in plates of iiibes to members of the medical profes? sion in any part of tho country. ' As a result of this invention, the, whole aspect of affairs in regard to tho enrativo use of radium hao linen chaiigcd. If a doctoj , in Edinburgh, for example, wants 200 Milligrammes of i'adiunv for lise upon a patient, iis cost, £4000, probably would be prohibitive; but the institute can supply a piiito containing radium emanation which will have the same effect for an amount ivhich is comparatively trilling. Radium gives off the emanation constantly, and itself is not destroyed. It is a reproduction of tire burning bush of Moses—constantly giving off heat, and never consumed. The activity or the emanation, however, when fixed in a hollow plate or tube, deevaases. falling to one-half strength in three and a half days. One gramme cf the. institute's supply of radium is devoted whoUy to producing emanation for distribution in plates or tubes, and another one-half grammo will slwrtly be used for the same purpose.

As air-instance of tlio valuable character of, tho work thus done it may bo mentioned that in tho course of ten days last November the institute sent out 13 pieces of apparatus, representing an activity equal tf>, that of 860 'milligrammes of radium, which would bo worth about £17,200, ami emanations equivalent to 1-50 milligrammes of radium are now being: distributed daily over the country. AH this is being obtained from one gramme ,of radium, The. institute is the only body which has produced emanations'in this way.

RacUum Water. Anotlicr branch of the activity of the institute is the supply of water impregnated with rail him emanations for consumption by sufferers from certain afflictions. Sir Frederick Troves described the. improvements brought about in tho condition <if patients by drinking radium \vater strong eno«gh to be hnninoas as "marvellous." The institute is supplying radium onuumtiou solution, of a strength nf from one. to two mil.liemiries per litre, a strength fav exceeding ihiit of water, whether natural or nrtifieially produced, obtainable' anywhere else in tho world. It hiis boon tried in cases of arthritis deformans, and in 40 per cent, of the- cases,- to whatever causo attributable, the most marked (wnefit has followrcd the consurapt.ioti t?f the water, whilst ono-half of the re-niaiuifflg

cases liavo benefited in varying degrees. . Usually a patient drinks about a lialfpint of tlio emanation water daily for six Mays in each of six woks. Tliat is tho first course, and after it rest tho eonrsc is repeated, if jicoossary. The stock of rndiuin held by tlio institute is kept in an iron room resembling a huge- safe. There, aro in the. premises of tho institute 42 pieces of apparatus with radium upon, them, their forms being adapted to meet tho mvtng needs of cases.