Evening star., 1927-05-18
RAD|UM IS HELD
B|RTHMARK CURE
New Method of Treatment,
However, Requires Large
Amount of Element.

Birthmarks. which hitherto have
blemished thousands of faces and
over which every mother worries
every time a red spot appears on
the skin of her baby, can be COM
pletely. erased with radium, plain
lessly, without leaving the slightest
trace of a scar. and with no i'll
effects.
This scientific advance was stressed
yesterday by speakers at the annual
meeting of the American Radium
Society at the Mayfiower Papers on
the treatment of hemangiomas, or
birthmarks. were read by DR.. San
ford Withers and DR.. John r. Ran
Cleveland and DR.. William II. Schmidt
of Philadelphia.
In the past the method of radium
treatment has been either TO bury
in the birthmarll a hollow needle
containing radium or to expose the
blemlSh to small amount of radium
lnclosed in a. lead or platinum case
which is held near the skin. The
same method has been followed in
the treatment of cancers and tumors.
Large Amount Required,
The newest method described yester.
'"F 40 W use ldISS amounts OF 13Qluln,
from four to five grams. inclosed in
lead or platinum, and held about five
inches from the skin The radium
rays go through the walls of the con-
tainer. This. it generally is agreed,
is the best method but is applicable
only in three or four large hospitals
which have that much radium. 1t
would be worth approximately ST ,000,-
600. All the radium in Washington.
owned by about ten physicians, hardly
would amount to half a gram. accord.
ing to DIR. Truman Able of Washing.
ton, who uses the rare element eXten-
sively in his practice.
The greatest use of radium, it was
explained, is for treatment of cancer
so situated that it can be exposed to
the rays. Radium has been used for
this purpose about 13 years so that
radiologists for the first time have
reliable statistics on which to estimate
the value of the work. 1t has been
impossible to tell formerly whether
cures were permanent or only tenn
porary, but after so long a trial some
judgment can be formed Henry X
Pancoast of Philadelphia told of 13
years experience with the treatment
of brain tumors. He said that q small
percentage of cases which were hope
less uflQef Othef treatments have re.
covered to large extent and the
patients remained we'll for years. 1t
still is impossible to declare that re-
covery has been complete, the radi.
ologists claim.
Used to Treat Leukemia.
Use OF radium in the treatment of
leukemla, or excess of white blood
corpuscles, was described by DR., VIII
nam l.. Brown of Chicago. This
disease, it was said, almost Inevitably
Is fatal, but cases have been treated
where life has been prolonged for
seven or eight years more than could
ordinarily be expected. No claim is
made that radium. which decreases
the white blood corpuscles, can effect
permanent cure. The radium is di.
rected on the blood forming organs,
the spleen, the bone marrow and the
liver.
Others who took part in the pro.
gram yesterday We're DR.. William L.
Clark of Philadelphia, DR.. Arthur Van
Dessel of Antwerp. Belgium; DIR. P.
Bailey and DR.. M. c. Sosman of Bos-
ton, DR.. Harry M. Bowling of Roches.
ter, Mimi, and DR.. r. E. Loucks of
Detroit