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    "localId": "75723252",
    "label": "Letters Received to H.H. Barker, October 20, 1928",
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    "id": "75723252",
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    "title": "Letters Received to H.H. Barker, October 20, 1928",
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    "collections": [
        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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    "seq": 2,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0001479.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "RECEIVED\nCohmbia University\nepidemiology\nCollege of Physicians and Surgeons\nINDUSTRIAL HYGIENE\n632 WEST 168TH STREET, NEW YORK\nPUBLIC HEALTH ADMINISTRATION\nSANITARY SCIENCE\nINSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH\nOct 20 I928\nMr. H.H. Barker,\nPARTERIAL\nLUMMOUS CORP.\nUnited States Radium Co.,\nNew York City, N.Y.\nDear Mr. Barker:\nI was very much surprise to get the news over the telephone about\nthe radioactivity of the two girls. I cannot but feel that there is something very\nfunny in the situation. As you will recall Dr. Schlundt made tests with the instru-\nment at the hotel before we went to the hospital. Then on our return he made some\nmore tests. All of this indicates that the instrument was acting normally especial-\nly as his observations were in line with those we had made before at numerous times.\nI cannot conceive of the machine not detecting radium in Miss Fryer\nwhen we placed it in two different the positions and then have the machine detect it\nnow. The normal leak was the as same as at the Hotel.\nI think you have a right to question the situation. My suggestion\nis that when the next girl comes in for examination she be kept at the hospital\nover night. That she be made to take a bath under the supervision of a nurse, that\nthe clothes she wore be tested for radioactivity. Of course you must be sure of\nher hair also. When she is examined she should wear a gown supplied by the hospital.\nIn the case of the two girls already examined I feel that another test should be\nmade in a week's time using the same precautions. If she had had an injection or\ntaken some by mouth we know from my own work which simply confirms that of others\nthat she will eliminate 30 to 60 percent of it in ten days. If the second test shows\na decrease in the reading it certainly would decide as far as I am concerned the\nwhole question. You may remember a remark that Dr Humphrey made to me about how\nall of the girls seem to have some of this material at home. I wouldn't put it\nabove some of these girls to take a solution of radium and rubbung their bodies\nwith it. It is inconceivable to me to have Dr Schlundt and myself find such nega-\ntive results as me did on all five girls, especially as we made independent read-\nings. I do not know of any form in which radium could be held in the body in which\nin would be negative one time and positive another. Do you? And isn't it queer that\nboth girls should have approximately the same amounts in their bodied.\nI feel that the situation should be checked up very carefully.\nIf I can help you at all do not hesitate to call on me. I was\nrather upset about it last night and went over the whole thing in my own mind and\nI cannot see where Dr Schlundt and I could have made any mistake. The weather or an\nerratic result is ruled out by our control readings all of which were constant ex-\ncept for the last one on Mrs Hussman.\nYours truly\nFridench B.3 Thum."
}