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    "localId": "75724781",
    "label": "Letters Received to H.H. Barker, January 7, 1930",
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    "title": "Letters Received to H.H. Barker, January 7, 1930",
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        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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    "seq": 3,
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    "ocrText": "UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI\nCOLUMBIA\nDEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY\nJAN 9 1930\nJanuary 7, 1930\nMr. H. H. Barker,\nU. S. Radium Corp.,\n535 Pearl Street,\nNew York City, N. Y.\nMy dear Howard:\nThese days I presume you are probably centering some of your attention\non the damage suits which are pending; but I hope that you have not dis-\nmissed from your mind entirely the situation with Dr. Flinn. Thus far I\nhave made no reply to Dr. Flinn's letter of December 11th, in which he\nstates his position on the question of publishing another joint paper,\nMorever, I have only recently read the paper by Flinn and Seidlin, on\nElimination of Radium, by Parathormone treatment. Since Dr. Flinn has\nmodified his attitude in several respects since the date of his letter,\nperhaps there will be nothing gained by writing at length about the diff-\nerent points which are involved, but since I have thus far refrained from\nstating my views, let me take a few minutes now to tell you how I feel.\nI do not expect to go into details.\nIt seems to me it is mutually agreed, now, that we may publish independ-\nently of Dr. Flinn the results obtained in the Elimination of Radium. Of\ncourse, we would not use the data we have on hand for Dr. Flinn's subjects\nWe agree, as Dr. Flinn says, \"it would be unethical\". Although we have\nsecured no data on elimination when patients are under treatment, it seems\nto me that quantitative data on elimination under normal living conditions\nis a distinct contribution. Your suggestion to publish jointly with Dr.\nFailla the data obtained for Miss Freyer and Mrs. Hussman, is entirely\nagreeable to me. The next step looking to this end would be recasting the\npaper, limiting it to experiments which were conducted entirely independent\nof Dr. Flinn. Shall we proceed with this plan?\nWith reference to Dr. Flinn's paper in The Johns Hopkins Bulletin, it\nstrikes me that the apparent reduction of about 50% in the activity as\nthe result of the Parathormone treatment, stands out as a pioneer contri-\nbution of great importance. We have here what one may term a cure for\nradium poisoning. These findings have such a fundamental bearing on radium\ntherapy that confirmation by treatment of other subjects having radium\npoisoning is imperative. If we accept these results as actual elimination\nof radium, nearly 50%, then would we not have to say that a Gure for radium\npoisoning has been discovered?\nFar be it from me to criticise these experiments, but I should like to\nhear the opinion of medical men themselves as to the probability of such\na high reduction of radium in so short a time -- six months (?) -- son-\nsidering the persistent way in which radium is retained in the bones this\nhigh reduction would point to a rather extraordinary elimination of calcium, -\nUNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI\nCOLUMBIA\nDEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY\nMr. H. H. Barker\nP.2\none-half the weight of the skeleton -- unless the parathormone has a\nspecific action on radium fixed in the bones, which seems quite con-\ntrary to experience. These experiments should be checked, if possible,\nand extended. The marked increase in radium elimination should result\nin a relatively high radium content of stools and urine. While Dr. Flinn\nsays that the alpha-ray activity of the stool residues showed increased\nactivity no quantitative or even relative figures are given.\nAgain a second examination for radioactivity a month after the patients\nhad been discharged from the hospital, should have been made to determine\nwhether any recovery of activity had taken place. If the hospitalization\nhas by any chance resulted in range of 5% to 10% to a higher level of 40%\nraising the\nto50 the gamma-ray activity of the patients may show a decided falling\nradon expired\noff as a result, but it would come up again in the course of a month or\ntwo. In other words, this is the question: \"Is the radium actually elim-\nfrom the\ninated?\"\nDr. Flinn has not sent me a reprint of this paper, nor does he refer to\nit in his letter. He makes no reference to S, B, and F. paper on method\nof testing patients for radioactivity. Perhaps reprints were scarce, but\nthe omission of these courtesies with one's colleagues, just starts a bit\nof distrust, which I cannot quite suppress.\nThe transmission of radium from mother to child needs checking up, for\nDr. Flinn himself feels that another test should be made; to use his\nwords, \"I do not trust the man who sent them (the children? or results?)\nto me\".\nThe Radium Poisoning situation as a whole is complex, indeed, and con-\nsidering the dual aspect of the problem - the physiology and radioactivity\nsides, both of which require experienced workers, it seems to me that pro-\ngress in this field of research demands the close cooperation of the\nphysiologists and the chemist or physicist versed in radioactivity. The\nbiologist assumes too much when he regards the specialist in radioactivity\nlargely as a technician, rather than a co-worker.\nAlthough I have not touched upon several other items which I intended to\nmention as I started out on this letter, I hope that I have said enough\nto define my position on the more important points. Perhaps you will not\nagree with some of my inferences, but I shall rest here until I hear from\nyou-again.\nWith very good wishes, I remain\nSincerely yours,\nHerman Schlundt\nHS:RA\nHerman Schlundt"
}