Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-05-07
CITY HAS CHANCE TO SAVE
THOUSANDS WITH RADUJIN
Tiny Portion Of Magic Substance, Costing S230OO0 Houo
Spare Multitude of Lires, DR.. Clark Points Out

PosS .bilitics in the medicinal uses of
radium are 50 vast that Philadelphia
would make an excellent investment
and save thousands of lives by the
pur"haS" Of two grams Of that valu-
abe article.
This is the belief Of Dr. William T..
Clark. Of the Medical Arts Building
probably the largest individual owner
of radium in this country. VII" has
experimental with it along many lines
for years.
The "omm.ttpc on public health is
urging council To pass m ordinance
nppropriating 500 900 TO purchase two
grams Of rndium for use at the Ph!ia-
d"lphia General Hospital. so poor as we'll
as rich might have The benefit Of rndium
treatment for cancer. Two grams Of
radium are smaller than pea.
1T would BE- n splendid step for
pHilndelph.n to takc-thiS giving the
poor people a chance for such treat.
mcnt, said DR.. Clark. II understand
that the city hospital has an average
ot 25n cases Of cancer all the time. II
is. next 70 tuberculosis. one Of the most
dreaded diseases We have 10 fight today.
still Are Experimenting
Those Of us who are engaged in
studying and trcnting malignant disease
realize that much is yCt ~ be learned
before the problems ~ malignancy are
entirely solved Yet realizing our lini-
tatiOns wo know that much more can
be accomplished BY combined methods
Of attack than could be accomplished
IN the past when operative surgery
alone was relied OF. When the etiol-
ogy Of cancer is finally determined, per.
haps ~,mc specific, similar TO antitoxin
in diphthcria or 1uinine in mnhria,
may Dc found. but from present know!-
edge loca. attack Of cancer usually has
positive results. Operative surgery,
eioctro'hermic methods, radium ana
\ rays alone or in combinations. are
the lunsr important methods 20 be con-
sidcrcd IN combating the dIsNnse.'
Although radium itself. q metali lie
chemical clement obtained from pitch
blonde. q uranium mineral, was dis
covered by J. and Nine. Curie and G'
Bemont in 1898. rs action on human
tissues wns unknown until 1901. Then
Prof. RcyQuerc,. Of Paris. carried a
tube Of it in his waistcOat pocket
Within few days h" noticed '"vere
inflammation, which has since become
known a. tho famous ''liecgu"re'
burn" Gradually physicians and sur
geons took up lis study and expert
mcnted until today II is recogniZrd as
one Of the most effective cures for can
CCr.
The rnys that Cmanate from even an
infinitcsimaI amount Of the substance
are 50 powerful they can kill the can
cerous growth If properly applied,
IF a gram Of it," explained Dr.
! Clark. "dis,rihutCd in hollow, metallic
needles for surgical use and placed in
the usual lead containers were locked
f.. strc. vault the heat from the
radium could hr felt outside the vault
when Vo work with II we never
! pur0oscly PICK up on" OF the needles
even those nontaining only nv" mllh-
| gra,ns Of radIum--m our bare fingers
/ II would burn severely ana u hhhH'en
| often would cause an incurabl" burn
| The needles are handled with forceps,
or lifted By tho braided silken thread
( that runs through the eye Of the needle.
| We hny" lead containers in when IN"
| needles arc placed when not in use
Conserve Heat Waves
Formerly, md even now By some
! physicians. radium was applied ex d,
tcrnally. Dr. Clark fav"rs IN" use OF
needles hcnausc by placing these INSIDE
the tissues to be treated no emanationS
, are lost. Tho heat waves go in every
direction. When the radinm is outSid"
the body only one fourth OF the cin9 =
nations enter the tissues, while II the
needle is inside every emnnation has It's
effect on the body. In some cases as
many or forty to forty Ave needles have
been placed In the body, thus reaching
every part Of the Canrerous growt" at
once.
The adaptation Of tn" hollow,
metalli, nocdlcs, cRch containing some
radium snlt," said Dr. Clark. "rcnr"- .
sentiug known quantity OF radiHm
clement. has rcvoutinnizc,d radinn
technique. They are particularly, elfo"'
tive in the treatment OF growths tni
argr for rRdtum penetration from 'h'
outside by capsule or plaque.
"Aftcr considerable experimentation
with various metallic clements an nlIoy
Of steel aud nirkcl known rs n"n'"or-
rosivc steel has been adopted Ms thc
most durnbir aud ns possessing the
proper filtration qualities for the hollow
needles. Tho radum cmnnatNs through
these in just the proper amount.
This needle" aud DE-. Clark picked