RADIOISOTOPES — AEBERSOLD 235 



States and abroad for hyperthyroidism. It has been reported that 

 in about 90 percent of the cases treated, hyperthyroidism is controlled 

 in 2 to 4 months by one or two treatments ; 10 percent of the patients 

 may require a third treatment. Similarly, radioactive phosphorus 

 is considered the treatment of choice of many physicians in treating 

 polycythemia vera and has been found to offer some relief in certain 

 cases of chronic leukemia. 



Neither the physical-placement nor biochemical-placement type of 

 radioisotope treatment, however, should be regarded as a "permanent" 

 cure. Both are mainly measures to control the disease and prolong 

 the comfortable and useful life of the patient. 



AGRICULTURE 



Many of the complex and difficult problems in agriculture, like 

 those in medical research, have to do with the fundamental processes 

 of groAvth. Wliat minerals and organic nutrients do plants need? 

 How do plant roots pick them up and how are they utilized? What 

 are the innermost workings of photosynthesis, the little-understood 

 process of nature that accounts for all the world's food and most of 

 its fuel? 



In some respects the agricultural problems confronting us today are 

 even bigger than the medical problems and certainly more critical. 

 Advances in medicine tend to lengthen man's life and hence we have 

 more people to feed, clothe, and house. Also, our birth rate is on the 

 increase. 



Carroll A. Hochwalt, vice president of the Monsanto Chemical Co., 

 sized up the situation recently in a paper before a meeting of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science in St. Louis. 

 As he pointed out, if we keep populating our Nation at the present 

 rate, by 1975 we shall have at least 25 percent more people to feed 

 and clothe. It will take 15 billion more eggs a year ; 20 million more 

 hogs; and another 10 billion quarts of milk just to keep our people 

 eating as well as they are today. And this is only part of the story, 

 for this only includes the United States. Even today many people in 

 other areas of the world are badly undernourished. 



The problem becomes even more serious when we consider the waste 

 that is taking place. For example, it has been estimated that insects 

 alone destroy as much as 4 billion dollars worth of crops annually. 

 Plant diseases destroy another 4 billion dollars worth. But what is 

 more amazing is the costly damage that we can attribute to weeds. 

 It is almost beyond belief to realize that by choking out crops, clogging 

 irrigation ditches, and poisoning farm animals, weeds cost the farmer 

 5 billion dollars each year. 



