The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-07-29
/ WONDERFUL METAL.
some of the Marvellous Proper
fies of Radium and the Uses
That May Be Made of 1t.

nat NAY be Maae OF IL.
writer in the London Times
has an interesting article deal
ing with the practical uses to
which radium can and may be
pnS. He Iaments the fact that there
isno sign that the chemical industry
in E,fgland has yet awakened to the
Dossibilities In Germany and France
radium is being successfully produced
pn manufacturing scale. The de-
naand at el5, 600 an ounce is far III ex-
cess OF the supply. whereas ID England
5t is neltkyer being produced nor It's
manufacture attempted.
Some Of the most hopeful and most
important uses of radium are IN the
Eeld Of medicine. Physicians and doc
5ors complain Of the impossibllity Q:
regulating the character of X-rays SO
as to repeat; with certainty any desired
result. Radium gives q beautifully
consistent and uniform supply Of rays.
Instead ofiihe cumbereus focus tubes,
nearly as large as d foot ball, and the
manifold expensive items of the A-ray
outfit, q glass tube, somewhat smaller
han tooth pick and containing from
one-tenth to one fifth Of a grain OF IA
ium, has already been successfully
snployed lin cases OF cancer, since the
3itsse tube can be inserted in cavities
no larger than the nostril.
In 8 great many cases IN which It
Wss impossible to uss the A-r8ys,
radium has been readily employed, as
Is shown by The following case. at
Eharing Cross Hospital a rodent cam
cr OF the nose which had recurred
afsar an operation and had been un-
successfully treated by the X-rsys Rss
subjected tl3 q short exposure Of rad
ium. Eoul. exposures, gwen at inter
rails Of a few days. In three weeks the
diseased part was healing well, and In
SIX weeks after two further exposures
the cancer disappeared completely with
o1S leaving any visible scar. Similar
sEccess IN treating an otherwise IN
cmable cancer was reported from
Vienna last week.
The fact that radium enclosed in a
lead box an inch thick and brought
near person in dark room causes
Elle same feeling as fash OF light on
She retina, even when the eye lids are
sighsly closed, and that the same
sensation Isl experienced by the blind,
Is attracting the serious attention
OF medical men, and the successful
treatment e,f many other diseases than
cancer may be confidently expected
IN the near future.
The gTeai; problem of The application
Of radium for Illuminating purposes
belongs to another class, that is, 1t
would bs perfectly practicable II the
supply Of radium was somewhat more
abundant than & present. A small.
traction Of an ounce Of radlum proper.
employed would probably prove to
Be a good light sufficient for several
rooms, which, at any rate during the
present century need never require
renewal As grain OF radium throws
forth from ten to a hundred million
proiectiles per second, the light avail
able from q grain would probably
equal several candle power.
Other conceivable applications OF
radiium to supply other forms OF energy
besides light belong to stall another
class so far as can be seen at present,
and Will only become applicable II the
available supply Of radium is increased
beyond what seems Just now possible,
for Is cannot be expected that suca a
very radioactive element viii ever be-
come very abundant. Radioactive
elements are spontaneously breaking
up, and the small quantities OF radlum
which are found in uranium minerals
from which it is extracted must be re-
garded as the amount that has surviv-
ed the dissintergrating process which
has probably extended through the
geological spochs Of time. 1t is there
fore not to be expected that much
more. abundant source than pithblend,
which probably does not contain
more thar l-lo, 600 per cent. OF radium
will be found.
Still another class covers the posi-
biIities of radio-actiyity which are
awaiting further steps Of scientific
knowledge before they can ntatarialize
The most striking fact OF radio actlvl-
ty is itsssunalterability. Radium con-
tains an immense reservoir OF energy,
sufficient to maintain its continuous
powerful radiations for many CEN
SNTLES, DuS o11 oeVC4AN NoSy w 1tIS1SNSS
sss activity or make it supply its
,erergy at a faster rate have signally
failed. If it is ever possible to ac-
complish this and to concentrate the
output Of energy which is now being
dissipated over several centuries into
the space Of a few days or weeks, then
there is not the least doubt Of the re-
sult. Prof. Rutherford, from his own
experiments and those of Dr.. Currie,
has calculated the energy stored up
In one grain of radium as being suffi-
cient to raise 500 tons mile high.
An ounce, therefore, would suffice
to drive a so horse power motor
around the world at the rate Of 30
miles an hour.
The possibility of being able in the
future to control and store the energy
of radium and to iherate it for use as
required at any desired rate is the
most interesting feature Of the radio
activity s.t the present tirae: Ii it
we're ever possible to do this with
sadium, It would almost certainly be
SO for uranium, and thorium, which
can be produced by the ton and prob
orarCu