The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-02-24
SUGGESTED THE
USE OF RADIUM
Or. Graham Bell Probably First to
Advise II for Cancer

Washington, ID. c., Feb. 24.-Wash-
mgton physicians are wondering 4
Or. Alexander Graham Bell the in
ventor of the telephone and former
president of the National Geographic
society, was not the first -pcrson 20
suggest the unfolding in radium i'm
| bodily tissue as curative agent for
deep-seated cancers. They have dis
covered copy of Science" Of July
p, 1903, i'm which is letter written
10y nr. BELL To Dr Il. r. Sewers. IF
! Washington, dated July n. 1903, which
they believe to contain the first sug-
eestion FOR the application Of radium
! in the way that the most recent eX-
] pcriments i'm the worlds scientific
'enters have proved most beneficial.
The letter also appeared in the Scicn-
tiiic American Of sept. l., 1903. The
letter written i'm I}addeck y. \, near
~ eleven years ago follows:
Dear Or. Sewers
Il understand from YOU that the
Rocntgen N-Rays and the rays emit
ted by radium have been found %
have marked curative effect upon OK
terual cancers, but that the effects
upon dcep-Scated cancers have thus
far proved unsatisfactory. 1t has oc-
CURED to me that one reason for the |
unsatisfactory nature of these latter |
experiments arises from the fact that |
the rays have been applied externally |
thus having to pass through healthy |
tissues Of various depths i'm order To-
reach the generous matter
The Crooks tube from which the
Roentgcn rays are emitted is of course
too bulky to be admitted into the mid
die of the mass OF cancer. but there ia
no reason why "a tiny fragment IF
radium sealed mp i'm fine glass tube
should not be inserted into the very
heart of the cancer, thus acting direct
ly upon the deceased material. Would
it not he worth while making expert
ments along this line
Or Sewers reply follows:
Dear DR. Bell
The suggestion which YOU make in
regard To the application of the radium
rays 10 the substance of deep-seatcd
cancer | regard as very valuable. If
such experiments should be made |
have no doubt they would prove sue
essful in many cases whore we now
have failures"
When the letters were called tu the
attention of Or Bell by physicians
lere recently, he modestly declined ro ,
lain that his was the first suggestion. ,
He added however that should an in
icstisation prove this To he the case ,
lothmg would please him more.
While medical men here have not {
made an exhaustive search to find If ,
n Bell was the originator of the i'm 2
'edding in tissue" idea, they believe :
hat actual work along this line did not y
ccur until three or four years later. o
hey cite an article, written by Dr. /
William II. Dicftenbach, of New York. f
h the Medical Record of December -.
9l3, in which the early steps i'm the Il
Employment of radium as curative :
gent are described. Or Dieffenbach
Ellis OF securing tube of radun r
romidc of 100000 activity i'm 1902 g
nd of additions being made 10 this :,
$3.50 $780, 80 ''"'' Nv say - S'lu- -
ons OF $4,000 activity of radium were =
issolved in gelatinc. the object being
> use an animal product as a vehicle
n dissemintiug radium within tissucsll
y means of injections The physician, II
n" of the pioneers. i'm this line. fails
, state exactly when the actual inn -
'dding Of the radium itself first tool,
ace. While they have not been abe
) find exact data on the subject, ply G
clans i'm the office of the Surgeon
eneral of the War Department are Of
.e opinion that DR.. Bells suggestion :.