Scientific Proceedings. 



(99) 35 



As has already been stated, radium emanations will always 

 follow the air current. Consequently, if some uncovered radium 

 is placed in an air current, the current will carry with itself the 

 emanations, which emanations will ionize the air and discharge 

 the electroscope. The author demonstrated these phenomena 

 with some strips of celluloid coated with radium and covered with 

 collodion. The same phenomena were demonstrated with a tube 

 which had been similarly coated with radium and collodion on the 

 inside. When air was blown through this tube toward the electro- 

 scope, the latter was discharged instantly. 



It has been stated that radium radiations destroy bacteria. 

 Rutherford and Soddy and others have accordingly advised that 

 radium emanations be blown into the lungs in tuberculosis. The 

 author believes that the difficulties in the way of testing such a 

 therapeutic application of radium are solved by the apparatus de- 

 scribed below. (See the figure on the next page.) 



The apparatus consists of a celluloid tube, A, with a complete 

 coat of radium on the inside and a collodion covering on the radium 

 coating. By means of a tightly fitting rubber stopper, B, a small 

 glass tube, C, is inserted, which at its end has a large perforated 

 bulb in order to produce a uniform air current throughout all parts 

 of the tube. This glass tube, C, has a glass stop-cock, D, and 

 connected with the latter is a rubber bulb, E. By means of another 

 rubber stopper, F, a glass tube, G, with a glass stop-cock, H, is 

 inserted into the other end of the tube. With the loose end of the 

 last glass tube, G, any desirable apparatus may be connected by 

 means of a narrow rubber tube, etc. If we close the two glass 

 stop-cocks and allow them to remain closed for several hours, a 

 considerable quantity of emanations will collect within the closed 

 tube. If we now blow up the rubber bulb, E, and slowly open the 

 exit stop-cock, H, and then slowly open the entrance stop-cock, 

 D, the compressed air will enter the coated celluloid tube, A, the 

 emanations which will have collected within the tube will follow 

 the course of the air current, and on inhaling this air, the patient 

 will receive the full charge of radium emanations in his lungs. A 

 cancer of the throat or of any other part of the body may be treated 

 by the application of a proper radium rod directly, and beside that, 

 by blowing the emanations, if necessary, directly into the seat of a 



