Show Daily Health ServicE U. U S. S Hospitals Short of oj Radium for Treatment By DK DR MORRIS FISHBEIN EIN Since the time when Monsieur and Madame Curie Curle found that a n substance which could be taken ken from uranium minerals possessed a high degree decree of radio activity and thereafter isolated this substance which is now now known as radium both the scientific world and the public have been extremely interested in fri the nature of this substance sub substance stance and In its possibilities for use useIn usein usein in the treatment of disease Radium containing ores as pointed out b by Dr R. R R. R Sayers chief surgeon of th the United States bureau of mines arc are now found in ten different cow count tries Because the amount of ot radium in the whole world is not exceedingly great and because the substance is recovered with such great difficulty it is extremely valuable Approximately people are arc arenow arenow now treated annually in this country with the available radium There are arc five tive states in which not one hospital has radium available and there is one w state in which nobody has any rad available The figures Indicate that individuals companies and ho hn own 1247 grams rams of radium it is estimated that at least 1174 n gr gran an more are required for normal us USe i this country In France the gOYen ov ment established 15 radium centers centerI j various parts of at the country ar and and to them about gra grams radium In England there are about grams available and the has recommended that at least 2 24 II grams be acquired t There are of course several cone cond lions which are arc treated with and radium preparations but tt main condition in which radIum u used ed is cancer The other conditi t in which radium is used are cond cj lions involving the lymph gl glands n an the blood which in iii their effects ri cancer Fortunately there are arc other avii aval able methods for treating many these conditions so that the radium may be reserved for the ca can al of cancer which require it mos most In 1929 deaths dentin were report as ao due to cancer The only sJ sin gin cause of death which exceeds th from cancer is heart disease wit UH deaths dentin The number ot of dean from rom cancer per hundred people has risen from 63 in 1900 1 i in 1920 and to in 1929 This does not mean an actual h h crease in the rate of cancer ment because the number of ot p peon p living to advanced years has beco much greater reater since 1990 It dOl do mean however that more people a ai 31 living longer and hence dying fro cancer n Since rad radium um is becoming of i L b creasing importance in the control j cancer it is estimated that at le Ie lea 15 times as much radium could be beus u advantageously as seems to be aval able in this country at this time |