Letters Sent to James Ewing, January 28, 1929

January 28,1929. Dr. James Ewing, Department of Pathology, Cornell Univorsity Medical College, First Ave. end 28th St., N.Y.C. Dear Dr. Ewing: I have passed the bills of Memorial Hospital, for radiographic work on the five girls under your care, along to our Accounting Department, and they will be taken care of in due course. ile quite agree with you, Dr. Graver and Dr. Failla as regards your disposition not to issue any formal statement relative to the cases. There is nothing to be gained by such a procedure, for we assume that everything is being done that is possible to give aid to the girls. As you are undoubtedly eware we have three suits now pending involving something like $1,125,000 and are informed that Mr. Berry is anxious to have a formal statement from you to use in the prosecution of these new cases. It is our belief that any new cases must stand on their own merits, and not on what has taken place in the past. Furthermore it was quite definitely bought out at the Con- ference held, in Washington December 20th, at the request of Surgeon General Cummings, to consider the probable hasards connected with the luminous material industry, that all of the publicity given to the subject has had a tendency to jeopardize the legitimate uses of radium. It is our belief that with any formal statement from your Committes Mr. Berry will go to the press with same and endeavor to arouse public sympathy in behalf of his clients. Vle are only too willing to give cognisence to the importance of the general situation, but don't believe that there is anything to be gained by the press's nethod of presenting this to the public. There are industrial conditions arising daily which are fully as important, if not more so, from the hmanitarian aspect as the one with which we are dealing, but receive little or no publicity. Howevor, it is our belief that the undue amount of publicity given the "radium cases" may be attributed to a large degree to the efforts of certain individuals who for one reason or another had an ax to grind. lie see no reason why Dr. Craver and Dr. Failla should not study the case of Miss Florence Holloway of 306 Langford St., Asbury Park, N.J. and render her what assistance is indicated. As you may appreciate we have no way of fortelling what may be involved in the way of legal difficulties in any such case. Sincerely yours, HHBarkertRI Vice President.