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    "label": "Letters Received to H.H. Barker, December 13, 1934",
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    "title": "Letters Received to H.H. Barker, December 13, 1934",
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        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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    "ocrText": "THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN\nSERVICE memorial institute\nMADISON, WISCONSIN\nERNST A. POHLE, M. D., PH. D.\nPROFESSOR OF RADIOLOGY\nDecember 13, 1934\nMr. H. H. Barker\nc/o Robert Treat Hotel\nNewark\nNew Jersey\nDear Mr. Barker:\nI got on the train yesterday and also made connections in\nChicago. On the way home I did a little thinking concerning some of the\nquestions which were asked and of course being alone and in a quiet place\nI could analyze some of the things far better than while on the witness\nstand. The first thing I am doing, therefore, after I reached my office is\nto write you some of the results of my deliberations.\nYou remember that among other things \"histocytes\" were said\nto be in the gastro-intestinal tract and take up some of the foreign bodies\nand carry them in the lymphatic vessels to be deposited then in liver, spleen\nor bone marrow. Granted that this is possible we should think of the analogy\nwith the insoluble barium salt. Thousands of patients have been examined by\nx-rays after they swallowed barium salt and it stands to reason that barium\nbeing insoluble and acting like a foreign body should also be taken up by\nthe histocytes and deposited in the 3 organs mentioned above. Many patients\nhave numerous examinations while following up, for instance, the progress\nmade in the treatment of a gastric or duodenal ulcer. There is no doubt\nthat barium sulphate is radiopaque and there is also no doubt that radiologists\nwould then detect these faint opaque shadows on a film. In other words when\nfilms are taken following gastro-intestinal examination one would expect small\nshadows in either spleen or liver representing small particles of barium\nsulphate carried there by the histocytes from the gastro-intestinal tract.\nSince there is no case on record and since we are looking for such minute\nshadows representing small kidney stones, small calcifications within the\nretroperitoneal glands or phleboliths (calcifications in veins), I believe it\nis obvious that if barium is at all taken up by the histocytes it is taken up\nin such minute quantities as to be insignificant. You know it does not take\nmuch barium sulphate to cast a shadow on an x-ray film.\nMay I also mention in this connection that very often examinations\nare made with suspensions of barium sulphate for the very purpose of outlining\nthe entire surface of the gastro-intestinal mucosa. We call this a relief\npicture. Mr. E. mentioned that if a suspension of that nature carrying an\ninsoluble radium salt would thus be brought into contact with a larger surface\nof the mucosa of the gastro-intestinal tract a greater amount of resorption\ncould be expected. Since we see no barium shadows after the use of this method\nit stands to reason that the same conclusion must be drawn as from the swallowing\nof a larger quantity of barium sulphate.\nIf Dr. Schlundt has not been called or has not finished his\ntestimony I would recommend that you take this matter up with him and use it.\nTHE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN\nSERVICE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE\nMADISON, WISCONSIN\nERNST A. POHLE. M. D., PH. D.\nPROFESSOR OF RADIOLOGY\nMr. H. H. Barker - 2\nI believe it is very important.\nIf possible try and get a copy of H. A. Colwell and S. Russ\n\"X-ray and Radium Injuries\", London, 1934. Read carefully chapter 4, part\non blood beginning page 61. I am sure you will find a good many valuable\nsuggestions which you can still use. I draw your attention, for instance,\nto page 66, paragraph 2, last sentence; page 68, caption B; page 74, last\nsentence; also chapter 13, first sentence. This is all I can think of now\nand I hope it may be of help to you.\nWith my best wishes, I am\nYours Insurance sincerely,\nEAP/LC\nP. S. Our pathologist just informed me that they have done autopsies on\nnumerous patients who had one or several gastro-intestinal examinations\nfollowing the administration of barium sulphate. No barium sulphate deposits\nwere ever found."
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