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UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
November 23, 1931.
NOV 25 1931
Mr. H. H. Barker
United States Radium Corporation
535 Pearl Street
New York City
My dear Barker:
In glancing at the last letter received
before the present installment of four which came to
hand this morning, I find that I have allowed consid-
erable time to elapse since writing you last. In ac-
cordance with your request we are sending under separ-
ate cover three or four copies of our paper on "Dangers
in Refining Radioactive Substances".
We are certainly interested in the pro-
posed experiments on the determination of radioacti-
vity of subjects in the Elgin Hospital. I may say
that immediately upon receiving your first letter on
this topic I set Mr. Paul Morris at work to extend
his methods of testing for radioactivity in living
persons. He is now perfecting a method of determin-
ing quantitatively the radium emanation in expired air
by condensing the emanation in
liquid air on the
one hand and on the other in absorbing the emanation
in activated charcoal. In other words, we are elabor-
ating the tests for radioactivity in living persons
and we hope that in time all this technique may serve
in such problems as the one which we will have at Elgin.
I have been unusually occupied this fall
and thus have been unable to suggest any date at which
we could undertake such measurements. The Christmas
Holidays are probably not very desirable dates, but
that will likely be about the only time I shall have
free.
Now, with regard to the progress on the
refining of radium, I shall defer that for this moment
until I have had a good talk not only with Breckenridge
but also with Carroll. I asked about the progress the
other day and they informed me that one of the shipments
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
COLUMBIA
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Mr. Barker-11/23/31 - 2
from you contained an unusual amount of barium. For
quite awhile the boys assumed that this was some
inscluble form of zinc sulfide but they have now de-
finitely established the fact that the material con-
sisted largely of barium sulfate and the presence of
this large quantity of barium plus the barium which
they added to protect the radium has very much lengthened
the number of crystallizations.
The other part of your letter, dealing
with possible danger from alpha rays resulting from the
inhalation of radium emanation and the active deposit
of polonium which results therefrom, I shall try to put
in quantitative form in a day or so, some of this ma-
terial and send on my deductions to you.
Finally, let me say that I have seen Mr.
Stevinson several times downtown and that the last
time I saw him he was certainly just as spry and
vigorous as ever; in fact, he was shaking the hand of
one of his farmer customers, a portly woman, with un-
usual vigor and sustained grip.
Very sincerely yours,
Herman Schlundt
Herman Schlundt.
hs.as
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"ocrText": "UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI\nCOLUMBIA\nDEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY\nNovember 23, 1931.\nNOV 25 1931\nMr. H. H. Barker\nUnited States Radium Corporation\n535 Pearl Street\nNew York City\nMy dear Barker:\nIn glancing at the last letter received\nbefore the present installment of four which came to\nhand this morning, I find that I have allowed consid-\nerable time to elapse since writing you last. In ac-\ncordance with your request we are sending under separ-\nate cover three or four copies of our paper on \"Dangers\nin Refining Radioactive Substances\".\nWe are certainly interested in the pro-\nposed experiments on the determination of radioacti-\nvity of subjects in the Elgin Hospital. I may say\nthat immediately upon receiving your first letter on\nthis topic I set Mr. Paul Morris at work to extend\nhis methods of testing for radioactivity in living\npersons. He is now perfecting a method of determin-\ning quantitatively the radium emanation in expired air\nby condensing the emanation in\nliquid air on the\none hand and on the other in absorbing the emanation\nin activated charcoal. In other words, we are elabor-\nating the tests for radioactivity in living persons\nand we hope that in time all this technique may serve\nin such problems as the one which we will have at Elgin.\nI have been unusually occupied this fall\nand thus have been unable to suggest any date at which\nwe could undertake such measurements. The Christmas\nHolidays are probably not very desirable dates, but\nthat will likely be about the only time I shall have\nfree.\nNow, with regard to the progress on the\nrefining of radium, I shall defer that for this moment\nuntil I have had a good talk not only with Breckenridge\nbut also with Carroll. I asked about the progress the\nother day and they informed me that one of the shipments\nUNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI\nCOLUMBIA\nDEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY\nMr. Barker-11/23/31 - 2\nfrom you contained an unusual amount of barium. For\nquite awhile the boys assumed that this was some\ninscluble form of zinc sulfide but they have now de-\nfinitely established the fact that the material con-\nsisted largely of barium sulfate and the presence of\nthis large quantity of barium plus the barium which\nthey added to protect the radium has very much lengthened\nthe number of crystallizations.\nThe other part of your letter, dealing\nwith possible danger from alpha rays resulting from the\ninhalation of radium emanation and the active deposit\nof polonium which results therefrom, I shall try to put\nin quantitative form in a day or so, some of this ma-\nterial and send on my deductions to you.\nFinally, let me say that I have seen Mr.\nStevinson several times downtown and that the last\ntime I saw him he was certainly just as spry and\nvigorous as ever; in fact, he was shaking the hand of\none of his farmer customers, a portly woman, with un-\nusual vigor and sustained grip.\nVery sincerely yours,\nHerman Schlundt\nHerman Schlundt.\nhs.as"
}