Use Of Thorium Research Articles

Thorium X treatment of skin epithelioma, keratoses, and delayed radiation changes.

Epitheliomas, as well as keratoses and superficial radiation injuries, can be successfully eradicated by applying thorium X in solution or in an ointment, the effect being due apparently to the intense ionizing properties of the alpha particle. Unsatisfactory sequelae such as ugly scarring, keloid formation, depigmentation, telangiectasis, or other untoward radiation effects have not been observed to date. Thorium X should not be confused with thorium or thorium compounds. The thorium paste used by Bulkley (1) did not contain thorium X but thorium oxide in combination with other chemicals. The action of this paste was mainly a caustic one, not dependent on its radioactive qualities. History Due to scarcity of radium in Germany, investigators turned to mesothorium as a source of radiation energy. As early as 1912 independent reports by Bickel (2) and Pappenheim (3) appeared in the German literature. Both referred to the oral administration of thorium X in the treatment of anemia and leukemia. The following year Naegeli and Jessner (4) reported on the efficacy of the external application of thorium X in the treatment of psoriasis, neurodermatitis, lupus erythematosus, and lupus vulgaris. Further work dealing with the local application of thorium X in chronic dermatoses was carried out by Fabry (5, 6, 7), Jadassohn (8), Nagelschmidt (9), Pinkus (10), and Prosser Thomas (11). In reporting his experiences with thorium X in the treatment of nevus flammeus (port-wine mark) and various dermatoses, Prosser Thomas indicated that he had also successfully treated several of the flat, cicatrizing superficial basal-cell lesions. He is therefore to be regarded as the pioneer in the treatment of skin epithelioma by this means. Except for the workers listed above, all those reporting on the use of thorium X have described its application in needles with various filtration, simulating radium and radon therapy technics. When thorium X is thus enclosed in a metal sheath, the beta and gamma factors only are utilized, and as some 99 per cent of the energy emitted is in the form of alpha particles, immeasurably larger amounts are necessary to produce any biological effect. The needles used contained 500 μc. (micocuries) or 0.5 mc. of thorium X per centimeter of length, on the basis of Halber-staedter's (12) researches in 1923. Alpha rays from radon have been utilized by Uhlmann (13), Low-Beer and Stone (14), and others. They kneaded radon gas into a vaseline base to treat post-irradiation skin injuries and have reported good results. The concentration of radon ranged from 17 to 34 μc. (50–100 e.s.u.) per gram of vaseline. Uhlmann contended that the healing effects observed were due to stimulation of the epithelial cells as a result of alpha particle bombardment.

RATE OF REMOVAL OF THORIUM DIOXIDE FROM THE BLOOD STREAM

In order to obtain data concerning the function of the cells which clear the blood of large particles, the velocity of removal from this fluid of colloidal thorium after intravenous injection was determined under normal conditions for dogs subsequently subjected to procedures designed to alter the activity of these cells. There have been several previous studies of reticuloendothelial activity, determining the rate of removal of injected large molecular masses in the form of bacteria, 1 colloidal metals (silver, 2 manganese 3 and saccharated ferric oxide 4 ), quartz, 5 carbon, 2a egg yolk, 6 egg albumin, 7 bilirubin 8 and various dyes (congo red, 9 brilliant vital red, 10 trypan blue, 11 bromsulphalein 12 and a series of acid and basic dyes 13 ). Difficulties follow the use of all these substances which do not attend the use of thorium. All the dye studies have been complicated by excretion from the organism during the test period, so that the rate of removal

Further Observations on the Use of Thorium in Pyclography

Further Observations on the Use of Thorium in Pyclography