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action arose.
Iven to-day the problems concerning radium have hardly been
touched. A decade and nore ago theories presently accepted vere
in a stage of controversial experimentation or unknown. In the
plaintiff's brief there are listed some twenty-five alleged ad-
missions made by the defendant's experts in the course of their
testimony to the effect that in 1917 radium was known to be dan-
gerous; that it was possessed of tremendous energy; that its
very use, medically, was exporimental and that there were divers
other recognized and unrecognized roasons in the light of the
knowledge of that time to destroy the defendant's case. Many of
those "admissions", much of the plaintiff's evidence and innumor-
able of plaintiff's assertions are unquestionably true. The great
difficulty is that no one was talking about the use of radium un-
der tho circumstances horo.
of course it was recognized in 1917 and many years before
that radium was the most active of the elements and possessed an
incomprehensible store of energy.¹
1.
Madame Curie, *Radionotive Substances" (1904).
Lord Rutherford likewise made this clear in his book, "Radio-
activity" published in 1905 (Exhibit P-25), and also in his book,
"Radioactive Substances and their Radiation", published in 1913
"Exhibit P-23), pointing out that radium was known to be a substance
which was undergoing spontaneous self-transformation. In other words,
the breaiting up of atons of radium discharged a gas known as redium emana-
tion. This gas in turn decayed and deposited a solid product known as
radium A. This in turn decayed and loft a solid known na radium B,
and so on down through radium T. which decayed and deposited lead.
Radium itself was known to hava a half life or 2000 years, that is
to say, it would be reduced to half its activity in 2000 years.
What activity then remained would takon another 2000 years to ro-
duee rifty per cent, and so on. Rndium emanation was known to have
a half life or 3.85 days and a practical life or about 30 days, al-
though after 90 days approximately 15 of the emanation would still
remain in existence. Radiun A to F. inclusive, were known as the
active deposit. Their periods of half life appear on the chart
which is Txchibit P-24, a copy of which is atteched hereto, and mark-
ed Appendix I.
These various products gave off radiations. Redium, radium
emanation, radium A, and radium F gave off alpha particles. Radium
itself was known to give off 34,000,000, 000 per second per gram.
In equilibrius rith its decay producta almost five times this number
of alpha particles were given off per second. (Exhibit P-23,
page 132.) These particler were known to have nass and to be approx-
imately 7. 000 times the aize of an electron. Thay were likowise known
to be positively charged. The speed with which they were shot out from
the parent radioactive atoms was between 12,000 and 18,000 miles per
second, and they were ahot out in a constant stroam.
-5-
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"ocrText": "action arose.\nIven to-day the problems concerning radium have hardly been\ntouched. A decade and nore ago theories presently accepted vere\nin a stage of controversial experimentation or unknown. In the\nplaintiff's brief there are listed some twenty-five alleged ad-\nmissions made by the defendant's experts in the course of their\ntestimony to the effect that in 1917 radium was known to be dan-\ngerous; that it was possessed of tremendous energy; that its\nvery use, medically, was exporimental and that there were divers\nother recognized and unrecognized roasons in the light of the\nknowledge of that time to destroy the defendant's case. Many of\nthose \"admissions\", much of the plaintiff's evidence and innumor-\nable of plaintiff's assertions are unquestionably true. The great\ndifficulty is that no one was talking about the use of radium un-\nder tho circumstances horo.\nof course it was recognized in 1917 and many years before\nthat radium was the most active of the elements and possessed an\nincomprehensible store of energy.¹\n1.\nMadame Curie, *Radionotive Substances\" (1904).\nLord Rutherford likewise made this clear in his book, \"Radio-\nactivity\" published in 1905 (Exhibit P-25), and also in his book,\n\"Radioactive Substances and their Radiation\", published in 1913\n\"Exhibit P-23), pointing out that radium was known to be a substance\nwhich was undergoing spontaneous self-transformation. In other words,\nthe breaiting up of atons of radium discharged a gas known as redium emana-\ntion. This gas in turn decayed and deposited a solid product known as\nradium A. This in turn decayed and loft a solid known na radium B,\nand so on down through radium T. which decayed and deposited lead.\nRadium itself was known to hava a half life or 2000 years, that is\nto say, it would be reduced to half its activity in 2000 years.\nWhat activity then remained would takon another 2000 years to ro-\nduee rifty per cent, and so on. Rndium emanation was known to have\na half life or 3.85 days and a practical life or about 30 days, al-\nthough after 90 days approximately 15 of the emanation would still\nremain in existence. Radiun A to F. inclusive, were known as the\nactive deposit. Their periods of half life appear on the chart\nwhich is Txchibit P-24, a copy of which is atteched hereto, and mark-\ned Appendix I.\nThese various products gave off radiations. Redium, radium\nemanation, radium A, and radium F gave off alpha particles. Radium\nitself was known to give off 34,000,000, 000 per second per gram.\nIn equilibrius rith its decay producta almost five times this number\nof alpha particles were given off per second. (Exhibit P-23,\npage 132.) These particler were known to have nass and to be approx-\nimately 7. 000 times the aize of an electron. Thay were likowise known\nto be positively charged. The speed with which they were shot out from\nthe parent radioactive atoms was between 12,000 and 18,000 miles per\nsecond, and they were ahot out in a constant stroam.\n-5-"
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