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February 16, 1926.
Mr. Sidney Mason, President,
Welsbach Company,
Gloucester City,
N. J.
Dear Mr. Mason:
I have your letter of the 13th.
A post mortem was made after Dr. Leman's death and
traces of Radium or radioactive elements were found, but the amounts
were very small.
I am not a physician or a technical man, but it seems to
me very unlikely that exposure even to radiation from large amounts
of Radium can fairly be considered a primary cause for such a fatality.
Leman had worked with Radium and Mesothorium in large commercial
quantities before he became associated with this company, and last
year before he was taken sick he had been doing less work with Radium
and Mesothorium than at almost any other time during his connection
with us as chief chemist. It may be pessible that exposure to heavy
radiation coupled with other conditions may have a bad effect although
apparently the pioneers who have worked with big amounts of radioactive
elements, frequently with poor facilities and under poor conditions,
do not suffer. I have in mind Madame Curie, Rutherford, Hess,
McCoy, and there are doubtless many more.
There is undoubtedly a difference of opinion in matters of
this kind which seem to be largely opinions but I believe that the real
sound scientific medical man, the one who is not seeking yellow press
publicity but is a gemuine scientist, will agree with you that Buckley's
condition was either not at all due to his occupation or not primarily
due to it.
Yours truly,
President.
ARoeder-HM
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"ocrText": "February 16, 1926.\nMr. Sidney Mason, President,\nWelsbach Company,\nGloucester City,\nN. J.\nDear Mr. Mason:\nI have your letter of the 13th.\nA post mortem was made after Dr. Leman's death and\ntraces of Radium or radioactive elements were found, but the amounts\nwere very small.\nI am not a physician or a technical man, but it seems to\nme very unlikely that exposure even to radiation from large amounts\nof Radium can fairly be considered a primary cause for such a fatality.\nLeman had worked with Radium and Mesothorium in large commercial\nquantities before he became associated with this company, and last\nyear before he was taken sick he had been doing less work with Radium\nand Mesothorium than at almost any other time during his connection\nwith us as chief chemist. It may be pessible that exposure to heavy\nradiation coupled with other conditions may have a bad effect although\napparently the pioneers who have worked with big amounts of radioactive\nelements, frequently with poor facilities and under poor conditions,\ndo not suffer. I have in mind Madame Curie, Rutherford, Hess,\nMcCoy, and there are doubtless many more.\nThere is undoubtedly a difference of opinion in matters of\nthis kind which seem to be largely opinions but I believe that the real\nsound scientific medical man, the one who is not seeking yellow press\npublicity but is a gemuine scientist, will agree with you that Buckley's\ncondition was either not at all due to his occupation or not primarily\ndue to it.\nYours truly,\nPresident.\nARoeder-HM"
}