Ask the Scholar
Page 2 of 5
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
OCR
(2)
but it would be a great help to us if you could have X-ray
photographs made of the hands of your chemist and his assistant,
of your forelady, Miss Smith, and of any of the other girls at
the work whom you can trust and whom you can induce to make the
trip.
If we can have three or four others it will be a boon
to our needs.
Also, I should like it very much if you would
induce Dr. Lehman to go.
If you telephone to Dr. Alexander he
will be ready to make appointments at your convenience.
There seem to be two possibilities in regard to the
radium:
first, that the rays are causing the damage; and,
secondly, that radium itself, absorbed in minute quantities
through the skin over long periods of time is deposited in
the bones.
Since it apparently behaves like calcium this point
of deposition seems highly probable to us.
Once deposited in
the bones, my associates who have been working wi th radium feel
that it might exist for a good while and continue to slowly
exert harm.
You will recollect that I felt that in the case of
the jaw necrosis cases what had occurred was that something had
interfered with the nutrition of the jaw bones, cutting off the
blood supply and leaving a devitalized tissue.
Dr. Barry's
X-rays show areas of rarefication which would occur if bone died
and was slowly absorbed.
When, in the case of the jaw, such
devitalized bone is exposed to the action of the mouth bacteria
it is non-resistent - simply rots away.
Lacking this exposure
it would probably exist for years as a somewhat porous and
weakened structure but not necessarily the cause of any trouble.
Should such an idea be correct you will see at once that changes
of the sort shown in Dr. Barry's X-rays should appear in the
bones of the hands.
I trust that this explanation will suffice
to show the impor tance of getting the X-ravs we desire.
Page data
- Page
- 2
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- fad7da11b28816cd
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 75718906
- Core
- doc
- Type
- document
DTO data
{
"id": "75718906",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718906",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Letters Received, April 29, 1924",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718906",
"collections": [
"Safety Light Collection",
"Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0000202_Page_1.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0000202_Page_1.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0000202_Page_1.jpg",
"imageCount": 5,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "75718906",
"label": "Letters Received, April 29, 1924",
"core": "doc",
"dtoType": "document",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718906"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "75718906",
"sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718906",
"contentType": "document",
"title": "Letters Received, April 29, 1924",
"citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718906",
"collections": [
"Safety Light Collection",
"Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
],
"iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0000202_Page_1.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0000202_Page_1.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0000202_Page_1.jpg",
"imageCount": 5,
"hasImages": true,
"source": "import",
"hasTranscription": false
}
Document source extras
{
"url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718906",
"naId": 75718906,
"levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
"recordType": "description",
"ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}
Page context
{
"seq": 2,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0000202_Page_2.jpg",
"mediaId": "fad7da11b28816cd",
"ocrText": "(2)\nbut it would be a great help to us if you could have X-ray\nphotographs made of the hands of your chemist and his assistant,\nof your forelady, Miss Smith, and of any of the other girls at\nthe work whom you can trust and whom you can induce to make the\ntrip.\nIf we can have three or four others it will be a boon\nto our needs.\nAlso, I should like it very much if you would\ninduce Dr. Lehman to go.\nIf you telephone to Dr. Alexander he\nwill be ready to make appointments at your convenience.\nThere seem to be two possibilities in regard to the\nradium:\nfirst, that the rays are causing the damage; and,\nsecondly, that radium itself, absorbed in minute quantities\nthrough the skin over long periods of time is deposited in\nthe bones.\nSince it apparently behaves like calcium this point\nof deposition seems highly probable to us.\nOnce deposited in\nthe bones, my associates who have been working wi th radium feel\nthat it might exist for a good while and continue to slowly\nexert harm.\nYou will recollect that I felt that in the case of\nthe jaw necrosis cases what had occurred was that something had\ninterfered with the nutrition of the jaw bones, cutting off the\nblood supply and leaving a devitalized tissue.\nDr. Barry's\nX-rays show areas of rarefication which would occur if bone died\nand was slowly absorbed.\nWhen, in the case of the jaw, such\ndevitalized bone is exposed to the action of the mouth bacteria\nit is non-resistent - simply rots away.\nLacking this exposure\nit would probably exist for years as a somewhat porous and\nweakened structure but not necessarily the cause of any trouble.\nShould such an idea be correct you will see at once that changes\nof the sort shown in Dr. Barry's X-rays should appear in the\nbones of the hands.\nI trust that this explanation will suffice\nto show the impor tance of getting the X-ravs we desire."
}