The Ontario Commission on Radium and X Rays

Abstract

The Ontario Commission on Radium and X RaysPublished Online:29 May 2014https://doi.org/10.1259/0007-1285-5-55-551SectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail AboutAbstractEarly in June 1931 a Royal Commission was appointed in Ontario to investigate the use of radium and X rays in the treatment of diseases in various centres throughout the world, and to consider the facilities available in Ontario. The report of the Commission, just published and consisting of 170 pages, well indexed, is a useful handbook. The Commission, under the chairmanship of the Hon. H. J. Cody, D.D., investigated radiological centres in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark, and the report gives an account of the equipment it found in these places, and of the opinions expressed by various experts. The report then goes on to discuss the prevalence of cancer, the theories of its causation, and its treatment, together with the uses and limitations of and necessary conditions for radiotherapy. Another section collects together statistics from all over the world of the results of radiotherapeutic treatment of cancer. The Commission comments on the value of optimism even in apparently hopeless cases, and records some remarkable results. There is also a review of cancer research, and of the various schemes for educating the public about cancer and providing a social service organisation.In its conclusions the Commission reviews the present knowledge—or absence of knowledge—of the cause of cancer and emphasises the deplorable delay in seeking advice. Previous article Next article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 5, Issue 55July 1932Pages: 545-608 © The British Institute of Radiology History Published onlineMay 29,2014 Metrics Download PDF