Evening star., 1951-03-28
Tests Offer First Hopes
To Bone Cancer Victims
Naval Research Institute
Reports on Gollium Study
By Thomas R. Henry

One of the first hopes held out for
victims OF bone cancers-use of radio
active forms of the rare element gall
Iunl-haS been announced by the Naval
Medical Research Institute at Bethesda.
1t is the result of experiments EXTEND
ing over four years. first with animals
and later with human beings. Up to
now there has been definite relief of
pain, but apparently no actual cures.
according to Comdr. H. c. Dudley. The
failure. however may be due in part to
the inability to use sufficiently large
doses because of the poisonous effects
of the metal
The animal experiments, carried out
by DR.. w. c. Mulry and DR.. Dudley.
showed that at least 40 per cent of the
gallium taken into the body tended to
concentrate in bones. Moreover, there
was 20 times as great concentration
in malignant as in normal bone.
The human experiments have shown
that this is true in Is out of 18 cases.
The radioactive substance emits power
full radiation which kills malignant bone
cells. 1t is made by bombarding ordi-
nary gallium in the atomic pile at Oak
Ridge. Tenn. In this case, since only
small part of sample is made radio
active, it is necessary to use large doses,
and the poison limit in the human
system is quite low.
Pure Isotope Obtainable.
other radioactive form Of gallium by
bombarding zinc in cyclotron. In this
case the pure exploding isotope can be
obtained and much smaller doses would
be required. On the other hand, the
supply with present techniques would
be very limited and expensive.
Bone cancer experiments now are
being carried on in q cooperative prof.
ect between the Navy Research Center
and the Atomic Energy Commission.
There has been one definite favorable
result. The strong tendency Of gallium
to concentrate in bone cancer tissue
makes it possible to locate these ma
lignancies precisely. and often before
there are definite symptoms.
Otherwise the Navy doctors are keep
ing their fingers crossed. They may
have initiated a major medical advance.
A camera lens which makes possible
the taking Of closeup pictures from
distances as great as two to three miles
has been constructed at the Naval Ord
nance Laboratory here.
It also makes possible taking pictures
Of objects so far away that they are In
visible to the naked eye.
The lens was designed especially to
photograph parachutes at great alti-
tudes and for the study Of missiles In
fight. The focal length Of this lens Is
about eight times that Of the ordinary
telephoto lens.
Three-Mile Photographs Possible.
In the Navys announcement of this
accomplishment it is stated that pho
tographer on top of the Washington
Monument. approximately 500 feet high,
could take closeup movies of ball
game at Griffith Stadium, almost three
miles away, with no difficulty.
The lens is adapted for use on an
ordinary movie camera It was designed
and built by Kurt Kriegsmann of the
Naval Ordnance Laboratory staff for a
variety OF special jobs which require
long distance photography. ,.r-..
No new principle is involved in the
new lens, but because of the greatly
increased focal length an extremely high
degree Of precision is required In con-
struction of all the parts
For actual use the camera and lens
are mounted on a power-operated gun
turret, so that the unit can be trained
on the object to be photographed with
absolute accuracy. A high degree Of
skill will be required of the photographer.