MANUFACTURE OF RADIUM MATIGNON 



233 



1904 ?10 to $25 



1905 25 to 50 



1906 60 



1909-1910 75 to 135 



1911-1912 150 



1912-1914 $180 



1915 160 



1916-1922 120, 110, 105 



1923 70 



The price of radium therefore rapidly increased from $10 to $160, 

 passing- through a maximum of $180. The radium from the Ameri- 

 can carnotites lowered the price from $100 to $120-$110; it then kept 

 at about $110 until the appearance of the Belgian product upon the 

 market lowered it to $70. Allowing 20 francs to the dollar, radium 

 sells at 1,400 francs per milligram. 



The sale of radium requires a complicated organization, since it is 

 necessary to get at a very special clientele — the physicians and hos- 

 pitals. The producer of radium must educate his clients, support 

 the expense of schools and medical meetings, and seek out new per- 

 manent openings. The Americans have created during their ten 

 years of efforts a powerful organization of instruction and propa- 

 ganda. Further, the Union Miniere has concluded with two princi- 

 pal groups of American producers, the Standard Chemical Co. and 

 the Radium Co. of Colorado, a contract which allows it to use to its 

 own profit the American organizations for propaganda for the use 

 of radium. These producers have thus been transformed into com- 

 mercial agents also. 



The Union Miniere in lowering the price of radium from $100 to 

 $70 has doubtless thus contributed to the useful applications of 

 radium. It is but just to add in closing that they graciously put 2 

 grams of radium at the disposal of the Curie Foundation. 



APPLICATIONS OF RADIUM 



The only practical application is in its use in therapeutics. I do 

 not wish to penetrate into a domain which is foreign to my experi- 

 ence and will only indicate that the treatment with radium has 

 often given very fortunate results in the treatment of lupus, super- 

 ficial ulcers, arteriosclerosis, gout, rheumatism, etc. Especially is it 

 used in the fight against cancer. 



The therapeutic technique of radium is very complicated. Indeed, 

 radium emits radiations which are practically very penetrating X- 

 rays; it projects electrons having very great velocities and endowed 

 with certain penetrating powers and four groups of a-particles char- 

 acterized each with a particidar velocity. These latter particles, 

 which have practically no penetrating power, can act only on the 

 surface of tissues in contact with the radium. We can therefore in- 

 ject a ver}^ dilute solution of an active body into an organ or submit 



