TY - JOUR
AU1 - Allen, Alexander J.
AU2 - Franklin, Rachel G.
AB - An Apparatus for Collecting Radium Emanation Alexander J. Allen and Rachel G. Franklin Cancer Research Laboratories, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Medicine, Philadelphia Excerpt Introduction Radium emanation has a definite place in the treatment of cancer. Its chief advantage over the radium element is that it can be put into small enough containers and is of such nature that, once inserted into a tumor, it need never be removed. A second advantage is that while radon can be used for every treatment for which the radium element can be used, radon implants contain no radium. If they are mislaid, carried away on a patient, or lost in any other way, the loss is negligible. However, good radium emanation plants are of necessity sufficiently complicated to make them costly to install and to maintain. By the adoption of modern scientific methods it was hoped to develop a plant of low initial and maintenance costs which would be practical for both small and large amounts of radium. The requisites of a good emanation plant are: The apparatus must be efficient; that is, as much as possible of the emanation formed must be collected in the container in which it is to be used, and it must be well purified, as it is usually desirable to use the emanation in as small a container as possible. The apparatus must be reliable and as fool-proof as possible; that is, it must be sturdy and practically free from breakdown. It is desirable to have it as simple as possible to maintain and operate. The problem of safety to the operator must be considered. Any saving in cost is always desirable. With the above points in mind, a constant effort has been made to simplify and improve the apparatus described in the article published last year(1). The necessity of using P 2 O 5 has been eliminated by the use of solid CO 2 and the plant is of such design that any water which is taken from the radium solution is again returned. Once the plant is installed it is not necessary to renew or replace any parts, except the gold and glass implant tubing. The apparatus is made entirely of Pyrex glass, which makes it more sturdy and less liable to break down than if it were made of soft glass. Mercury diffusion pumps simplify the usual pumping procedure and produce excellent vacua with a minimum amount of labor. Magnetic valves simplify the design and operation of the apparatus. The time that an attendant must be in the vicinity of the apparatus is small, which reduces the danger of over-exposure to gamma rays. Description of Parts In the diagram of this plant (Fig. 1), A indicates a glass bulb which is enclosed in a safe and contains the radium solution. This is surrounded by a copper coil, W , through which water is circulated to keep the temperature of the radium solution below that of the outside room temperature. Copyrighted by The Radiological Society of North America, Inc.
TI - An Apparatus for Collecting Radium Emanation
JF - Radiology
DO - 10.1148/18.4.812
DA - 1932-04-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/radiological-society-of-north-america-inc/an-apparatus-for-collecting-radium-emanation-FcO4tE3NVC
SP - 812
VL - 18
IS - 4
DP - DeepDyve
ER -