Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-20
Tkief-PrOOf Sufe
VIII Guard Radiun,
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Continued from Page One
matter, said he believed the radium
would be found or returned.
"Radium," he said. "is not n pleas
snt thing to steal. 1t burns and nobody
will buy it after It IL stolen. No one
will buy II without the seal of the
United States Bureau Of Standards as
TO its authenticity"
However, the matter still stands that
the Director Is going to take no chances
| with Philadelphia treasure. The two
grams of radium, without counting the
equipment for maintenance, cost the
city 1854 900. This was bargain.
One hundred and thirteen thousand
dollars per gram Is more often the mar
ket value of this precious commodity.
Because OF the large quantity in which
It was purchased concessions in price
were made.
1t was DR.. George l.. Bcvier. acting
medical director Of the hospital. who
ushered visitor into the radium room
that, it is said, will surpass in size
and equipment any other in the coun-
try. The room is about IL by 10
feet. and entirely white tiled. Its only
window is high up-almost touching
the ceiling.
The safe is built at one side Of
the room TO give space for the highly
scientific and intricate plant that draws
off the radium rays.
For treatment DR.. Bevier ex-
planned, I'VE will use the pmanations
or the rays, and not the radum itself
The radium remains in its little tube
in the safe and in fifteen hundred
years only half Of it will have worn
down. In the meantime it continually
gives off emanations.
DR.. Bevier showed the inside Of the
safe. AS yet the outside steel cover
ing has not been put on and 1t looked
like a square black box.
Has Special Home" in Safe
"'rhe radium itself" he said. will
be in a lead-incased tube. which will
go up through that little hole in the
top Of the safe" He pointed to a small
round opening. Then that connects
with bent tube through which the
rays or emanations travel"
Or. Bevier went on to describe the
remarkable vacuum pump that will
literally draw of the rays and con-
duct them through various scientific at
tnchmcnts until they are ready to
charge the long finely drawn out glass
tube that is actually used for treat
ments.
When a sufficient supply of the ema
nations Is stored in the thin tube it is
removed from the supply pipe. A glass
| cutting machine heats It, seals 1t and
cuts 1t into tubes of required length
These are put in silver cases or shells
and are ready for use on the patient.
Iheir function is to destroy dead tissue.
rms part of the plant has not yet
hppn nn1t.
dation of it. Glass blowing tables will
line two of the walls Every precaution
Will be taken to protect the workers in
the emanation plant from the serious
burns radium can infliCt There will be
big lead screens two and a half inches
thick placed wherever contact is apt TO
| prove dangerous, and even specially
constructed lead spectaCles will be pro-
vided. Lead has proved to be the best
metal resistant.
| Four workers will man the staff of
the important little room They are a
! physicist, whose salary will be $4,000 ::
roentgenologist. S25OO: an assistant
physician. $4,000. and a technician and
glass blower, $1,000
THE plant will probably be ready in
two months" DR.. Bovicr said obi
rector Furbush is making every effort
to have it completed as soon as posi- =
Bile. He comes out every day and per-
sonally supervises the work. Special
wards and private rooms for patients
who will come specially to the hospital
| for this particular treatment are to be
| remodeled from available space-that
will take time of course, but every
| thing is being done to throw the entire
service open at the earliest moment"
At present there are numbers of can
Ger patients in the hospitals. and these.
Or. Bevier pointed out. will have the
benefit Of the radium treatments. II is
} planned that the scope Of the plant and
| its service shall become national. No
other hospital in the country has such
large supply of radium and there will
be accommodation for all classes of pa
tipntS