Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-02-14
IMPROVED X-RAYS
FOR CANCER WORK
Harvard Physicists Deeply
Penetrating Type i'll
New Laboratory
TO DISPLACE RADIUM
New Method Devised by DR.. William
Duane. is Less Costly Already
Tried in Germany.

coveries made by Dr.. William Duane,
Professor of Bio-Physics at Harvard
working in collaboration with research
students of physics. have made it pos
sible. according to Harvard physi-
cists. 10 secure X-rays Of more pene-
tra.ing quality than have ever oe-
fore been obtained in this country.
and these new rays are now to Da
used for the first time in America
for the a.leviation of cancer.
While it is ,emphatically stated by
Professor Duane that neither H-rays
nor radium should be considered a
permanent cure for all kinds CT can
Ger. it has lorg been know that rad!-
um has a marked alternative effect
ltpon this disease, and the Harvard
physicists have reason to believe that
the effect of the new highly penetrat-
ing X-rays will De equally beneficial.
The Harvard Cancer Commission is
erecting a building adjoining the Col
Us P. Huntington Hospital in Boston.
where an X-ray plant will be in
sailed as we'll as the commissions
radium pant. In the belief that the
life of cancer patients may be proiong
ed by the new treatment, life insur-
ance companies of Boston have given
more than $4,000 toward the new
building. .-:2 -
Here the experiments will be per-
formed which will test the value of
the newly discovered penetrating type
Of X-rays. How effective they will
prove cannot pc determined until they
have been used for SINE time.
The advantage Of N-rays over rad
ium is that the latter is scarce and
immensely expensive costing at pre-
sent over 100000 a grain. and can
therefore on.y be used in small guam
tit;cs. If N-rays were used it would
be possible to make the rays enorm-
ous,y more powerful than has been
possible with. the limited %gmount of
radium availab,e5.
The trouole with the use Of N-!ays s
up 70 this time has been that they
are not as penetrating as the so-casl-
ed gamma rays" OF radium, and the
problem of the Harvard physicists
has been TO secure this needed quail
ty.
1t was known that TO secure pene-
tration it was necessary to employ a
high frequency of vibration. The Har-
ward physicists. after great number
of experiments, at length found that
a physical law known as the "quantam
law applied to the N-ray spectrum
ard discovered that they could in
crease the frequency of the rays, and
thus their penetration, by increasing
the voltage of current used in the y
ray tube.
Professor Duane reports that the
tuoe goes to pieces under voltage
Of more than 100000 volts, but that
sufficiently high voltage has been
secured to make the X-rays very near-
Is as effective for certain medical pu!
poses as the gamma rays of rad!um.
The Germans, it is said, have made
great headways recently with the use
of h:gh-frequency X-rays in alleviat-
ing cancer. but these particular rays
have rot been used in America up to
this time.
a vast amount of work has recent
| ~ been done by Professor Duane ir
the detailed study of N-rays spectra
Some of this work may prove effec-
/ tive in increasing the medica! value
Of X-rays, but much of it is being
done simply with the scientific pur.
pose of learning more about the mys'
/ ter!cuS rays ana the laws WHICH gov
ern them.
Long-continued exposure 70 A-ray'
IS so dangerous to the operator thai
the greatest pains have to be take'
to protect him from :nem. In. the Jat
| ferson Physical Laboratory at Har
ward. where Professor Duane make!
his experiments, the X-ray planc i
kent in room by itself, and The ray
are sent out through minute slit il
the warl. The brick wall at this roin
is reinforced with lead, and Leaf
screen is paced across the door. Man!
experimenters in various places hav'