Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-30
"X-RAY YARDST|CK"
SENT TO EUROPE
Invention of Capital Scientist
May Standardize Cancer
Treatment.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 3o.-Cancer treat
ments with X-rays may be standardized
for the entire world through Use of an
apparatus with which an American
scientist sailed for Europe today.
The scientist, Lauriston II. Taylor.
x-ray physicist of the United States
Bureau of Standards, Washington. has
developed what is believed the first port
able "X-ray yardStick' ever devised.
known technically as a portable stand
ard ionization chamber
The 'yardstick" provides a standard
unit for accurately comparing intensity
of X-rays from different X-ray tubes.
1t is an adaptation of the old type OF
non-portable ionization chamber.
May Become Standard.
Taylor's ionization chamber may be
adopted as the international X-ray
standard at the Third International Con-
gress Of Radiolcgy in Paris, July % to
81. 1t is expected the congress will
adopt some existing national standard
for international use. Taylors appa-
ratus already has been adopted as the
X-ray power in the United States. He
will demonstrate it before the congress
as the official representative of the
United States Government and Amer
1can Pathological societies.
Taylor also will compare his apparatus
with the X-Ray standards of England,
France and Germany. This will be the
first time 1t has been possible to COM
pare directly the X-Ray standard units
of these countries with that of the
United States.
Will Make Work Accurate.
He expects the comparison will make
possible for the first time accurate
reproductions of X-Ray prescription"
of European physicians in the United
States and vice versa, resulting in more
effective XRay treatment Of cancer
and other diseases
Heretofore there has been no way of
accurately comparing the X-Ray stand
ards of different countries because they
are expressed in different units. Taylor
explains that with his portable device
the standards of European nations can
be compared in terms of the American
unit.
He will present a paper before the
International Congress of RadiolCgy
outlining the results of his comparison
of the American X-Ray standard with
these Of Europe. The comparisons will
De carried ON at ltle NdIlOndl PnNSlcdl
Laboratory OF England, the Physikaisch-
Technische Reichsanstalt of Berlin and
the Curie Institute in Paris.
Plans Safety Proposals.
Meetings of the International Com
mittee on X-ray and Radium Protec-
ton also will be attended by Taylor.
who is the American member. He will
present for consideration a set of safety
proposals prepared by the American
National Advisory Committee on X-ray
and Radium Protection, of which he is
chairman
Taylor developed his portable ioniza
ton chamber by finding a new way to
prevent variations in the electric field
which is an essential part of the in
strument. Such variations in other
types of chambers are prevented only
by the use of large, unWieldly equip
ment he said.
The ioniZation chamber measures the
intensity OF an X-ray beam by register
ing the amount of atoms of air in the
beams path. frcm which e!cctrons arc
split off by the beam.