Letters Received to Edwin Smith [Edwin F. Smith], February 29, 1928

COPY RECEIVED MAR 1 1928 February 29, 1928 Mr. Edwin Smith c/o Edwards and Smith 1 Exchange Place Jersey City, N. J. My dear Mr. Smith: There seems to be a little misunderstanding as to my position in the radium situation, and I thought it would be a good idea to make it absolutely clear. I em not interested in any phase of radium and its allied netals outside of the effect that it has on the human system. In short, I am not interested in the United Sates Radium Corporation and its former employees in Orange. I con- sented to testify as to my observations only because I believe from my contact with the personnel of the Company that they are hanest in their statements when they say they were ignorant of any suspicion that the luminous paint would injure their employe ees. If at any time any suspicion should arise in my mind that they knew that they might have expected any injury, or that they knew of any situation that might have caused injury and vere not frank with me, I would not testify at the trial. I have studied, not any particular plant, but the industry as a whole. When I began my work, I could not find any- thing in the literature which would suggest such a thing as bone necrosis among dial painters. I found references to blood changes from undue exposure to radium and X-Tray and found that the medical prof ession had agreed that the first indication of an undue expos- ure was a persistent low white count, below 6006. After going over everything that I could find, I began watching for the indicated changes in my animals. Then I began to examine employees who had painted dials, to see if I could find such changes. I did not ex- amine the employees of the United States Radium Corporation, be- cause of the lawsuits which were then entered against the Company. I did ask Dr. Martland for material and he put me off in a very indefinite way. Through the kindness of Mr. Barker, I did obtain a semple of Mrs. Malifer's bone. Dr. Drinker's report did not impress me as favor- ably as it might have because he stated that he could not find any