The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-07-12
BAKERS SURGEON A
VICTIM OF X-RAY TOO
DR.. Leonard, Who Treated
Lamp Inventor, Loses
Arm From Cancer.
MANY GIVE LIFE TO WORK
Philadelphia Scientist Took Up
Experiments Knowing
Danger.

PHILADELPHIA, July 11.--Dr. Charles L.
Leonard. chief Of the Poly clinic Hos
pltal staff, an expert in electro-thera-
pcutics. il in u serious condition from
the use ~ the N-ray. Growths In the
nature of cancer starting In one hand
made 1t necessary some time ago to
remove the hand. and recently the
whole arm has been removed in an
effort To check the spread OF the disease.
{ Dr. Leonard has been working with
I IN. rays for many years. He assisted
DR.. william l.. Clarke also OF Phila-
delphia. in treating with the rays Bur.
ton r.. Baker the Roentgen ray expert
who died in Hartford. Conn. yester-
day. Surgeons are using every means
in their power to arrest the disease. but
they agree that there is no certain
cure.
! DR. Clarke. who is an expert on the
Rpentgen rays for the University OF
| PENNSYLVANIA and chief Of the depart
ment Of lectrO-therapeut!cs at st. Ag-
ness Hospital, said to-day that the rays
used in treating Cancerous grOwths also
cause them when a person has been
continually subjected to the rays and
that many medical and scientific men
were giving themselves aS martyrs to
their profession.
Kept Record Of Ills CRse.
In speaking of MIR. Bakers case Or.
Clarke said that he treated Mr.. Baker
for the last time in Philadelphia on Feb
ruary 3. After that. however. Mr. Baker
kept Dr. Clarke Informed Of the progress
Of his case by letter. and the records Will
be made the basis Of report to the
American Medical Association by DR.
Clarke.
MIR. Baker. DR. Clarke said. began his
work with the Rocntgen rays in 1895 and
continued 1t until 1905. when the parts
Of his body which had been exposed Ia
the rays began to show small wartlike
growths, and with these came a gen.
eral dilation OF the blood vessels. Clcer-
atiOns appeared next. and Mr.. Baker
went to Philadelphia and consulted DR.
Clarke.
Treatment arrested the disease for a
time. but six months ago it grew viru-
lent again and II became evident that
the cancer had affected his whole sys-
tenn. Radium and surgery were tried;
diseased muscles were cut away. but
without stopping the disease.
LOsinx Power 20 Move.
In his last letter to DIR. Clarke dated
June %. Mr.. Baker said that he could
write only with difficulty because Of the
contraction Of the muscles and he feared
he would soon lose all power of move
! ment. DIR. Clarke said that in treating
Mr.. Baker with the rays Dr. Leonard
had shielded himself with screens OF
lead a quarter OF an inch thick.
DR.. Joseph O'Malley medical chief OF
ST. Agnes's Hospital, said tonight that
there have been some thirty or forty
lives lost through the continual use of
the Roentgen ray. The victims were
all scientific men who used the rays
} continually. Eighteen or twenty deaths
had resulted among physicians and
scientific men in the United States alone
within the past decade. he said.
Dr. OMalley explained that the ma
tority. IL not ALL Of the victims were
men who had used the rays in the
earlier years of their discovery and
before the danger attached to their usr
was understood The cxperimenters IN
those days exposed themselves to the
rays much more than is done to-day,
and the use Of leaden screens was not
general.
With the frequent deaths and the
discovery that the rays do cause cam
cerous growths greater care began Ia
he exercised. Screens are now arranged
so that the operator is not exposed 10
the rays at ALL even his hands being
protected. 1t Is the hands OF the oper-
atOrs which in most Of the cases have
become affected irst.
DR.. OMalley said that the rays had
been used successfully in treating super
ficiai cases OF cancer. hut that no cure
had yet becn discovered for advanced
cases. Radium is being used In Phila-
delpha hospitals on cases where an
operation cannot he performed because
Of the location Of the cancer, and val
liable results already have been achieved
h,,t