Abstract
A RECENT number of the British Medical Bulletin (Vol. 4, No. 1, 1946. Is.) is entitled “Radiobiology, Experimental and Applied”. This volume is the second of a series concerned with the applications of physics in medicine and contains twelve reviews. The subjects include most of the problems of contemporary interest in relation to the scientific basis of radiotherapeutics. The introductory article by Dr. F. G. Spear summarizes the whole field of radiobiological research and includes an instructive plate illustrating the relationship between cell division and cell differentiation in normal tissues. Dr. L. H. Gray contributes a valuable review of the influence of 'linear ion density' (specific ionization) on the relative biological efficiency per ion pair. The genetic effects of radiations are lucidly summarized by Dr. D. G. Catcheside. The article by Dr. D. E. Lea on the action of radiation on viruses and bacteria is an only too brief survey of a subject to which he has so largely contributed. Radiotherapists will be especially interested in the review by Dr. A. Gliicksmann entitled “Quantitative Histological Analysis of Radiation-Effects in Human Carcinomata”. The measurement of radiation is discussed by Dr. G. J. Neary in a manner interesting to biologists. Dr. Frank Ellis writes on total energy absorption in radiotherapy and includes much information of practical value. Dr. J. Read summarizes the most important technical methods in use in X-ray therapy, and Prof. S. Russ discusses technical methods in radium therapy. Mr. G. S. Innes reviews the subject of one million volt X-ray therapy and concludes that the “physical and clinical results are such that they lend support to the view that a further increase in voltage to the 5 to 10 million volt range is likely to give still better clinical results”. Protective methods in radiology are of great interest at the present time and are discussed in some detail by Mr. W. Binks. A final short article by Dr. J. Read describes the scheme developed by the Association of Hospital Physicists for the exchange of diagrams and data between radiotherapy centres.
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Radiobiological Research. Nature 157, 869–870 (1946). https://doi.org/10.1038/157869c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/157869c0