Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-02-14
Cancer Relief
Thru New X
Ray Discovery

Ray Discovery
Cambridge. Mass. Feb. ls-(By
-Ihe Associated Press)-Discoveries
made by William Duane. professor Of
bio physics lat. Harvard, working in
collaboration with research students
81 physics. have made it possible,
according to Harvard physicists, to
secure X-rays Of more penetrating
quality than have ever before been
obtained in this country, and these
new rays are now to be used for the
first time in America for the alleyi-
alton Of cancer.
While it Is emphaticaIly stated by
Professor Duane that neither x-rays
nor radium should be considered u
permanent cure for all kinds of can
Ger, 1t has long been known that
radium has a marked alicv;ation ef-
rect upon this disease. and the Har-
ward physicists have reason to be-
lieve- that the effect of the new
highly penetrating x-raysj will be
equally as beneficial.
The Harvard Cancer Commission
is erecting a new building adjoining
the Coils p. Huntington hospital in
Boston, where an x-ray plant will he
i installed, as we'll as the commissions
radium plant. CONFIDENT that the
prolonged, life insurance companies
OF Boston have given over $4,000
toward the new building. Here the
experiments will be performed
which will test the value of the new
~ discovered, penetrating type Of
X-rays.
How effective they will prove can
not be determined until they have
been used for some time.
The significance of the discovery
was explained. in the following
statement made for The Associated
Press at Harvard today:
THE advantage of, X-rays over
radium is that the latter is scarce
and immensely expensive, costing at
present over 100000 a gram and
can therefore only be used in small
quantities. If X-rays we're used it
would be possible to make the rays
enormously more powerful than has
been possible with the limited
amount of radium available. The
, trouble with the use of x-rays up
to this time has been that they are
not as penetrating as the so-called
Cana rays of radiur1 and the prob
lem of the Harvard physicists. has
been to secure this needed quality
1T was known that to secure PEN
etration it was necessary to use a
high frequency of vibration. The
Harvard physicists after a great
number of experiments, at length
found that a physical law known as
the 'Quantum law applied to the
X-ray spectrum: and discovered that
they could increase the voltage, of
current used in the X-ray tube.
Professor Duane reports ,that the
tube goes to pieces under a voltage
Of more than 10000 volts, but that a
sufficiently high voltage has been
secured to make The X-rays very
nearly as effective for certain medi-
cal purposes as the Gamma rays Of
radium.
THE Germans, it. is said, have
made great Roadway recently with
the use of high frequency X-rays in
alleviating cancer. but these particu-
lar rays have not been used in Amer
lea up to this time.
Long continued exposure to x
rays is so dangerous to the operator
that the greatest pains have to be
taken to protect him ffom them. In
the Jefferson Physical Laboratory at
Harvard, where Professor Duane
makes his experiments the X-ray
plant is kept in a room by itself and
the rays are sent out through q mi
mute slit in the wall. The brick wall
at this point is reinforced with lead
and lead screen is placed across the
door. Many experimenters in vari-
Gus places have been killed or seri-
ously injured by constant use of *
rays, although the exposure is so
brief in the case of patients that there
is no danger to them. In the new
building of the Cancer Commission
the X-ray plant will have a room to
itself and the rays will be sent out
through Sits to do their beneficient
work.
The discovery Of the application of
"Quantum law" to the X-raS srec-
trum is thus described in detail:
1.-THE principal object was to secure
x-rays Of very penetrating qualities.
1t was already known that the pene-
tration increases as the cube of the
frequency Of vibration Of the ray, and
thus the problem became to increase
the infrequency.
THE discovery OF the application
of the Quantum law to the X-ray to
spectrum was then made, according
to which the frequency, multiplied by
a certain well known constant In ply
sizes. known as h. equals the energy
which the elctron has In the X.ray
tube when it strikes the target. .
ut was also known that the ener-
gy Is equal to the charge which the
electron has. multiplied by the volt
age applied to the tube. Therefore,
it became clear that high frequency,
and thus penetration. would result
from an increase in the voltage