Radium

It would be impossible, it would be against the scientific spirit … Physicists always publish their results completely. If our discovery has a commercial future that is an accident from which we must not profit. And if radium is found to be used in the treatment of disease, it seems to me impossible to take advantage of that.
— Marie Sklodowska Curie (1867 – 1934), on the patenting of radium, as described by her daughter Eve.

Why is the change gradual? Why does only a minute fraction of the radium disintegrate in any particular second? Why does it dole itself out so slowly and so exactly? Why does not all the uranium change to radium and all the radium change to the next lowest thing at once? Why this decay by driblets; why not a decay en masse? Suppose presently we find it possible to quicken that decay?
— H. G. Wells (1866 – 1946), The World Set Free, 1913.

The energy given out in these changes is, weight for weight of matter concerned, of the order of a million times as great as that given out in any previous change known. The energy that would be liberated in the complete change of an ounce [28 gram] of radium, a process which would require thousands of years, is equal to that furbished by ten tons of coal during complete combustion. If it could be made to disintegrate suddenly and explosively, instead of gradually, an ounce of radium would produce as much effect as many tons of the most powerful detonator known. So far all attempts to accelerate or retard the rate of disintegration have been failures, though many such experiments have been tried.
— Frederick Soddy (1877 – 1956), Report of a lecture given in Birmingham September 16, 1913, published in the New York Times, September 28, 1913.

The attempts to separate our artificial ‘radium isotopes’ from barium [by fractional crystallisation] were unsuccessful; no enrichment of the radium was obtained. It was natural to ascribe this lack of success to the exceptionally low intensity of our preparations. It was always a question of merely a few thousands of atoms, which could only be detected as individual particles by the Geiger-Muller counter. Such a small number of atoms could be carried away by the great excess of inactive barium without any increase or decrease being perceptible, even if the barium was precipitated in the form of barium chloride, which precipitates in a very pure form.

In order to check this, we repeated the same tests with a weak intensity of the natural radium isotopes mesothorium and thorium X. These substances were freed from every trace of their parent substance and decay products with the greatest care and, by systematic dilution, preparations were made which were only just detectable with the Geiger-Muller counter. Crystallisations were carried out with the chlorides, bromides and chromates, always with the barium salt as carrier.

The result was, as was to be expected for radium, that mesothorium and thorium X were concentrated in the first fractions of the salts named, and in fact in quantities such as we should expect from our previous experience. This proved that the few atoms of normal radium isotopes also behaved in exactly the same manner as strong preparations.

Finally we proceeded to direct ‘indicator tests’. We mixed the pure natural radium isotopes with our artificial ‘radium’ isotopes, also previously freed from their decay products, and fractionated the mixture in the same way as before. The result was that the natural radium isotopes could be separated from barium, but the artificial ones could not.
— Otto Hahn (1879 – 1968), New Atoms, Elsevier, 1950, 21 – 2.

Amazing Discovery "Sequarine," a Mysterious and Powerful New Serum Creates a Sensation in Scientific Circles A Vital Principle more effective than the interchange of blood and more active than Radium, Cures Disease, Heals Sores and Overcomes the weakness of old age. An amazing discovery has been made by a scientist who was formerly head physician to the Hospital for Paralysis and Nervous Diseases, Queen's-square, London. This discovery, which is probably the most important addition to the Science of medicine since Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood, consists of a powerful and active Serum, which is a certain cure and preventive for a large number of diseases. This serum was called Orchitine by its discoverer (Prof. Brown Sequard, FRS, and FRCP, London), but doctors and scientists generally have been calling it Sequarine, in honor of the Professor who caused such a furore in their ranks by announcing and demonstrating its wonderful properties.
— Sunday Times (Perth), Sunday 5 May 1912, 29.

RADIUM CURES HYDROPHOBIA. Dr. Tizzoni, an eminent professor of the Bologna University, claims that radium, with which interesting experiments have already been made in connection with cancer research is an effective cure for hydrophobia, In the course of a lecture on Saturday before the local Scientific Academy Dr. Tizzoni stated that he had repeatedly injected rabbits with most violent hydrophobia virus, and afterwards subjected the animals to radium rays with the result that in every case a cure was effected within six days.
— The Border Morning Mail and Riverina Times (Albury), Tuesday 13 June 1905, 2.

SMART Ladies wanted as Canvassers for Medical Institution, new (Radium Cure) in Australia. Can make £6 weekly Apply to Dr Strandgard, Collins place Melbourne.
— The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 31 July 1909, 25.

For this purpose a comfortable room has been especially prepared. The doors and windows have been thoroughly padded, and made almost hermetically tight. Accommodation is provided for eight or ten patients, who may take the cure simultaneously.
— The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta), Wednesday 27 March 1912, 12.

YOU CAN BE CURED. Professor C. T. NIXON'S Herbal Hydropathic Massage and Solar-Radium Fluids cure the most stubborn ''incurables'' to usual remedies, whilst the Solar Agents absolutely relieve the most cruel pains. Professor Nixon may be interviewed at the Central Coffee Palace, Perth, in usual hours. FREE INTERVIEWS.
— The West Australian (Perth), Tuesday 21 April 1914, 3.

Will Radium Cure You? If you are sick, and you want to get well and keep well, write for literature that tells how and why this almost unknown and wonderful new element brings relief to so many sufferers from Constipation, Rheumatism, Sciatica, Gout, Neuritis, Neuralgia, Nervous Prostration, High Blood Pressure and diseases of the Stomach, Heart, Lungs, Liver, Kidneys and other ailments. You wear a Radio-Active Solar Pad day and night, receiving the Radio-Active rays continuously into your system, causing a healthy circulation, overcoming sluggishness, throwing off impurities, and restoring the tissues and nerves to a normal condition — and the next thing you know, you are getting well.
— Sunday Times (Sydney), Sunday 24 September 1922, 8.

RADIUM CURES LEPROSY. According to its annual report the Territorial Board of Health in Hawaii, after experiments lasting six months, the surgeons at the leper receiving hospital cured all the cases treated with radium. This is the first time it has ever been used.
— The Horsham Times (Vic.), Friday 4 September 1925, 6.

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