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The History of Nuclear Medicine
Published in Michael Ljungberg, Handbook of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging for Physicists, 2022
Except for the radium emanation (i.e., radon therapy by radioactive drinking water), used for both medical purposes and in quackery, it was first of all external X-ray for diagnostics and therapy used in the half of the twentieth century. It was not until the 1950s when the first standardization of absorbed dose estimation from internal emitters was introduced. The use of radium water in vivo was halted, and regulations were quickly established after the tragic deaths of individuals who deliberately or unknowingly ingested radium. Examples include the radium dial painters [16, 17] and the quackery scandal that involved the death of prominent businessman Eben M. Byers by radiotoxicity after daily consumption of radioactive water, ‘Radithor’, which contained radium isotopes and was sold by the William Bailey Radium Laboratory in New Jersey [18].
Kill or Cure
Published in Alan Perkins, Life and Death Rays, 2021
One particular health tonic, Radithor, also known as Perpetual Sunshine, was widely prescribed by physicians and practitioners (Figure 5.13). The product packaging described this as being just a tiny bottle of apparently lifeless, colourless and tasteless water which was all that the eyes could see or the tongue could detect, yet it contained the greatest therapeutic force known to mankind. The manufacturers claimed that as well as being an excellent energy tonic, it had proved to be highly valuable for the treatment of conditions including anaemia, arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, menstrual disorders, nervous conditions, obesity, senility and sexual conditions.
The quest for wellness: Public health and environmental concerns
Published in Lois N. Magner, Oliver J. Kim, A History of Medicine, 2017
Radium was advertised for many uses, including some very dubious miracles of modern medicine. Doctors prescribed radium for colds and used it to treat cancer. It was included in a wide range of consumer products, such as energizing radium water, candies, cosmetics, soaps, and liniments. Health spas were established at hot springs said to be naturally energized by radioactive elements and radon gas. A “health drink” called Radithor was advertised as Certified Radioactive Water and sold as a tonic that provided increased energy and vitality. The illness and death of Eben M. Byers, a wealthy 52-year-old industrialist, demonstrated the dangers of radium-based products. A physician suggested that Byers try Radithor for his chronic pain. Following his doctor's advice, Byers consumed hundreds of bottles of Radithor. As he became increasingly ill—brittle bones, yellowing skin, failing kidneys, and weight loss—he increased his consumption of his health drink. He died in 1932 in Doctors Hospital, New York, weighing only 92 pounds and exhaling radon gas. His friend, James J. Walker, mayor of New York, was also using radium water to treat his painful joints.
Radium dial workers: back to the future
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2022
Nicole E. Martinez, Derek W. Jokisch, Lawrence T. Dauer, Keith F. Eckerman, Ronald E. Goans, John D. Brockman, Sergey Y. Tolmachev, Maia Avtandilashvili, Michael T. Mumma, John D. Boice, Richard W. Leggett
Over the years, there have been several epidemiologic studies and analyses of the radium dial workers (Polednak et al. 1978; Polednak 1978a, 1978b; Rowland, Stehney, Brues, et al. 1978; Rowland, Stehney, Lucas 1978; Rowland and Lucas 1982, 1984; Rowland et al. 1983, 1989; Stebbings et al. 1984; Rowland 1993, 1994). The current population is composed of the dial painters studied by Polednak et al. 1978 (900 dial painters first hired prior to 1930) and Stebbings et al. 1984 (approximately 2,600 dial painters hired prior to 1950) supplemented with workers available from the comprehensive dataset from Argonne National Laboratory described by Rowland (1994) and digitally archived at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource (CEDR). This dataset contains information on about 6,000 individuals with radium exposure, including not only dial workers, but also radium chemists, patients treated with radium, individuals who were known to have ingested radium water (e.g. Radithor), and other miscellaneous exposures (Department of Energy (DOE) 2021; Rowland 1994). While the information available in CEDR and in Rowland (1994) helps define the study population, a key source of information is the 100,000 s of pages of individual microfilm and microfiche records that were converted to optical character read format. Detailed clinical data, dosimetry data, and follow-up data for individuals provides a treasure trove of information to supplement and enhance the epidemiologic data. These data were made available through the DOE USTUR.