Scientific Proceedings. 



(97) 33 



powers which are known to be very effective therapeutic factors." 

 Germicidal effects of the radium rays have been shown repeatedly. 

 Thus Scholtz .lately demonstrated that even typhoid bacilli can be 

 destroyed with radium radiations. It is not surprising, from what 

 was stated above regarding the low penetrative power, etc., of the 

 emanations and the alpha rays, that disappointments have fre- 

 quently resulted from the therapeutic application of radium. The 

 author believes that in all probability many such disappointments 

 have ensued solely because the practitioner has not had available 

 in such cases just those radiations of radium which are required 

 for therapeutic effects. Then, too, the radioactive powers of each 

 radium preparation should be definitely ascertained in the first 

 place, not taken for granted. 



This opinion of past therapeutic failures led the author to con- 

 duct some experiments designed to discover a method of applying 

 radium more advantageously. Such a method seemed to require 

 (a) a disposition of the radium in very thin layers, so as to yield 

 the maximum proportions of alpha rays and emanations, and (b) 

 its application in a container permeable by the rays and emana- 

 tions. These experiments finally led to the production of what 

 the author terms " radium coatings." 



Radium coatings are made in the following manner : Radium 

 is dissolved in a proper solvent and into this proper solvent a 

 proper material is dipped. This material is then withdrawn, with 

 radium solution adhering to it. The solvent quickly evaporates, 

 leaving the material covered with an exceedingly thin film of 

 radium. The kind of solvent to be used is determined by the 

 nature of the material to be coated. Such solvents are employed 

 as have a tendency to soften and to permeate the material which 

 is to be coated. Thus, if celluloid rods, discs, or similar instru- 

 ments are to receive a radium coating in order to be used for the 

 treatment of a certain disease, solvents such as alcohol, amyl 

 acetate, etc., may be employed. These solvents have a tendency 

 to soften celluloid temporarily. As the solvent evaporates, the 

 radium is very uniformly distributed over the celluloid, and is 

 also incorporated on its surface. In order to prevent accidental 

 removal of the radium from such coatings, the celluloid instru- 

 ments produced in this w r ay are dipped in a proper collodion solu- 



