Health > Protective measures against dangers resulting from the use of radium, roentgen and ultra-violet rays

recorded by a. signal. Such chronometers can also be made to operate automatically and
can be provided with a recording device; the switching off of the apparatus at the end
of the period of radiation can also be effected by the chronometer. In addition to such
an automatic chronometer, which may fail to act, a second watch should also be used.
Dose measurement during calibration is nearly always carried out with a stop¬
watch. Since the period of radiation is generally a high multiple of the time measured
off in this way, it is important that the radiation chronometer and the stop-watch should
be going at the same rate. Even where dosimeters are employed during the period of
radiation, it is desirable to use a watch in addition.
All the instruments mentioned must be most carefully watched during the whole
period of radiation. It is hence necessary to have, for every radiation theatre or for every
radiation set, a properly trained staff to adjust the controls throughout the period of
radiation1 the operator should not be allowed to leave the control table until the
Roentgen tube has been switched off and the watch has been stopped. The staff must
not be allowed to engage in other occupations, such as reading and the like, whilst
radiation is going on.
4. Training of Medical Attendants and Assistants.
Apart from the requirement that careless errors of dosing through the omission of
the filter, or use of the wrong filter, through maladjustment of the testing instruments,
through incorrect measurement of the distance, wrong time measurement or the like
must be avoided ; the most important stipulation for the protection of the patients in
therapeutic work is that the right dose shall be administered. The patient is entitled
to demand, not only that injury by overdosing shall be avoided but also that he
shall not be given too small a dose which would merely give him the illusion ot ellective
treatment, and might, in certain cases, jeopardise his chances of a cure. In the outside
world, to be sure, failure does not arouse so much attention as the infliction of burns.
The correct use of radiation can only be guaranteed if the practice of radiotherapy
is only permitted to such qualified doctors as have undergone the necessary specialised
training. In this connection, grave abuses still prevail in many countries, but a settlement
of this question by general regulation is hardly practicable ; in most cases, indeed, it is
left to the representative bodies of the medical profession to determine what conditions
must be satisfied by a radiological specialist. n- +
In Germany, proposals on the subject have been drafted by the German Rontgen-
gesellschaft, with the object of instituting general supervision of X-ray establishments
by the health inspection authorities. These proposals stipulate that the use of Roentgen
rays in all branches of medicine should only be permitted to X-ray specialists. By -ray
specialists is meant qualified doctors who can show that they have undergone three
years’ training under the direction of a recognised medical X-ray specialist. A twelve
months’ course would be required for training in particular branches of X-ray app i-
cation and a six months’ course for training in a narrowly circumscribed field ol specialist
work Supervision would be exercised by the competent medical authorities. Recently,
in an agreement concluded between the German Medical Association and the Federation
of Sick Funds, it has been stipulated that any doctor using X-rays must bring evidence
before a Commission that he has had suitable training in the whole branch or m the
snecial branch of roentgenology in which he is working.
Another problem which has frequently been discussed (by Holzknecht among
others) but not yet solved, is the training of the medical student with a view to the
1 E. H. Muller, Fortschritte Rontgenstr., 42, 657, 1930.