Evening star., 1953-10-07
Godget Will Determine
Extent Of A-Bomb Burn
Tiny Needle in Body
Seen as Reduction Meter
By Thomos R. Henry,

A micro-needle light meter which
may be used to determine the extent
of deadly radiations received by vic
Tins of an A-bomb attack is reported
by Naval Research Laboratory scien-
tiSt.
1t consists of tiny needle of phos-
phate glass about 30th of an inch in
diameter and a fifth of an inch long
which conceivably might be implanted
in the human body where it would serve
as permanent radiation tag.
When this glass has been subjected
to either X-rays or the gamma rays
such as would come from an atomic
bomb. according to the report of James
H. Schulman and Howard w. Etzel to
the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science here, it gives out
an orange MmineScence when exposed
to ultra violet light. The intensity of
this luminescence is a measure of the
extent Of the exposure.
If there has been no exposure to
ionization radiations the ultraviolet
has no effect.
Degree Of Exposure.
A fairly large "tag" of this kind gives
quite precise measure of the degree of
exposure. The problem of the Naval
Research Laboratory scientists, how
ever, has been to make one small
enough so that it could be inserted
permanently in the tissue itself. Here,
Mr.. Schulnan and Mr.. Etzel report,
considerable difficulty has been en-
countered, but some of this may be
OVnrNOY10n ,NU XuCrly iV,V
The work started, they say, in con-
nection with studies of radiation in
jurieS of small animals at the biological
laboratory of Boston University. The
advantages of having tag which can
be incorporated in the body rather than
one carried on the person are quite
obvious, it is pointed out. For one
thing, it could not be lost or forgotten.
In an atomic bomb attack the extent
of radiation injury would vary greatly
from person to person and it would be
essential to select for treatment at
once those who had received dangerous
doses.
Sunrise radiation" is non-existent.
This is the conclusion of DR.. Hans
Bomke of the Evans Signal Laboratory
at Belmar. NJ j.. after long series of
carefully controlled tests to detect some
unknown rays from the sun, observed
only at dawn, which would produce
mysterious effects on human blood.
He had just reported his findings to
the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science here.
The alleged sunrise radiation" was
first reported by two Japanese bio
chemists, M. Takata andwT Murasugi,
in 1941. They found that various
chemical effects on human blood var
led remarkably, depending on whether
the blood was taken from the veins
some minutes before or some minutes
after sunrisea They called it the COS
moterrestrial effect" It was noted
only if the person was electrically in
sulated from the ground while the
blood was being taken.
Experiments Repeated.
They reported that the effect was
present in the same intensity, even If
the person was in a deep cellar pro-
tected from any solar radiation by
thick layers of earth and concrete.
DR.. Bomke repeated the japanese ex-
perimentS on very large scale over
period of three years, he reports.
Also, he says, he improved the
technique of the Japanese biochemists
SO that the effect, If it existed, would
be much more apparent.
In more than 100 sunrise expert
ments," he says, mo coSmoterrestrial
effect could be found at all despite the
fact that far more sensitive measure
ments were made. The Japanese results
were caused either by systematic err
rors or psychological illusions"