The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-04-19
Cancer Aid Machine
Suppressed For
Four Years

Some months back noted labor
news columnist drew up a startling
Indictment of current American bust
ness tactics and labeled his procla
nation "Our Bill of Wrongs.
An additional wrong" which seems
most fitting for listing on such a
declaration was the recent uncover
ing by Federated Press newshound
of General Electrics four-year sup
preston of an demonstrating ma
chine, thereby preventing the possible
curing of hundreds of thousands of
cancer victims. This machine, a beta
iron, is similar to the cyclotron of
atom bomb fame
Suppression of the betatron, scien.
lists charge, has blocked atomic med
zeal research and possibly withheld
cure from many of the 100000 per.
sons who died of cancer in the four.
year period. Scientists believe the
betatron will definitely help cancer
cases not durable at present
FTP pieced together details of how
GLE suppressed the machine from Prof
Donald Kerst, its inventor, atomic ply
sicists, GLE employees and eminent
cancer specialists. First hint of the
story came during the recent strike
against gle when the Michael Reese
Hospital in Chicago was suddenly Of
fered betatron by the Allis Chalmers
company, after it had previously re-
fused to build one unless the hospital
assumed responsibility for possible
patent infringement
The offer, without strings attached.
for the first time lifted the lid G-E
clamped down on all production of
betatrons for hospitals or commercial
use. GLE is believed to have given
Allis Chalmers the go-ahead sign be-
cause it feared the betatron's suppress
sion would be made public during
strike-provoked charges and counter.
charges as to who was responsible for
interfering with cancer research.
Kerst invented the betatron at the
University of Illinois in 1910. He took
his invention to G-E because they
produce high-voltage X-ray machines
for medical use. After spending two
years developing working model in
a G-E laboratory, he discovered the
company had patented his invention
on the technicality that anything pro-
duced in the laboratory was theirs.
During the war GLE stubbornly re-
fused to produce betatrons and re-
fused to license their patent so that
other companies could build the ma
chimes. Under pressure from the Of
flee of Scientific Research and De-
velopment and Kerst, Allis Chalmers
was finally given patent immunity to
build five 20-million-volt machines for
The government The machines were
used to test shells and on the atom
bomb project.
At the same time cancer special
SITS and radio-therapists in New York
md Chicago until as late as Febru-
try 1946-six years after the beta.
ron's invention and four years after
working model had been buiit-were
till trying unsuccessfnlly to get heta-
rons to carry on their work.
With the betatron it may be pos
iUlC " CO1iSCAitl dtC q 81 SettNi eShACuAit
# Notwithstanding energy than is
'ossible today with the best X-ray
pparatus and to aid treatment of can
ers deep within the body. DR.. Erich
T. Uhlmann, director of the Tumor
,linic at Michael Reese, told FTP that
reatment could not be perfected with
ut more research-which requires
lore betatrons.
FPS informants believe the clue to
les suppression of the betatron lies
1 it's desire for exclusive control of
IL possible developments from the
lachine and possibly because it would
ompete with GEES own high-voltage
ray equipment Scientists credit the
-nited Electrical Radio & Machine
Workers (CIO) with forcing gle to
slease it's stranglehold on the beta
on When GLE charged the strike
as holding up cancer research, UE
lswered that the company knew what
as holding it up-and it wasn't the
cketlines. The offer to Michael
eese followed.