ON THE ENZYMATIC HYPOTHESIS OF RADIOSENSITIVITY
Abstract
To the Editor:—
An editorial comment (The Journal, September 20, p. 1020) discussed some observations by W. M. Dale: The Effect of X-Rays on Enzymes, Biochem. J. 34:1367 [Nov.] 1940) on the roentgen inactivation of purified enzymes in dilute solution. Under these conditions a large fraction of the activity of the specimen could be destroyed by doses of radiation even smaller than those used in radiotherapy.
The hypothesis that cellular damage...