[The response to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen's discovery in Berlin]. / Die Aufnahme der Entdeckung Wilhelm Conrad Röntgens in Berlin.

In early January 1896 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen sent offprints to several colleagues of his to make them acquainted with his discovery of the X-rays. From January 5, 1896 newspapers started reporting on that discovery worldwide from Vienna. In several cities the news immediately set off corresponding scientific activities among specialists. This paper looks into such activities carried out in Berlin to show how promptly Röntgen's discovery was taken up, with a number of priorities having been set in the capital of the German Reich. The X-ray photographs which Röntgen had forwarded together with his offprints were displayed and discussed at a meeting of the Berlin Physical Society as early as on January 4, 1896, making his discovery known to the public for the first time. On January 6, 1896 the discovery and photographs were presented at a session of the Berlin Association of Internal Medicine and its diagnostic application was discussed in the medical community for the first time. A few days after that, the first photographs shot by other authors after Röntgen, and their diagnostic use, were demonstrated in Berlin. Finally, Röntgen's early visit to Emperor William II on January 12, 1896, which led to the speedy introduction of the X-day technique into German military medicine, is discussed in detail.

Schneeberg lung disease and uranium mining in the Saxon Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge).

The so-called Schneeberg lung disease is a form of bronchial or alveolar carcinoma caused by the effects of the radioactive gas radon and of its radioactive short half-life daughter products. This type of radiation-induced occupational cancer is the most common and the most important radiation injury among workers occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation. There have been many deaths from lung cancer, especially in the Soviet uranium mines in the Erzgebirge of Saxony in the former German Democratic Republic. The history of disease in these miners extends over five centuries; the first observations of their health hazard start in the Middle Ages. The discovery of the lung cancer component was made toward the end of the nineteenth century, and the suspicion that a connection might exist between this cancer type and exposure to ionizing radiation was voiced at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the first half of this century, further research was carried out on this disease in the Schneeberg area of the Erzgebirge. Before the end of World War II, guidelines were set up to define the acceptable limits of radon exposure in the ore mines of Saxony. After World War II, the American uranium mines in the Colorado Plateau used the German research results as a basis for working out their own radiation protection standard. The uranium mines under Soviet occupation in the former GDR, on the contrary, paid no attention to these research findings. For many years, no precautions were taken for the miners' working conditions. The consequence of this serious omission was an estimated 9,000 fatal cases of lung cancer among these underground miners. High concentrations of radon are to be found in indoor air of homes in some districts of the Erzgebirge, suggesting an increasing lung cancer risk for the local inhabitants. The significance of this finding is evaluated.

[Risk of radiation exposure and internal medicine]. / Das Strahlenrisiko und die Innere Medizin.

The paper informs in concise form about the risk which consists in the medical application of the ionizing radiation for physician and patient. In the introduction a short retrospective view on the development of the knowledge of the various radiation injuries is given. Following this is shown which international activities concerning the limitation of the radiation risk are to be registered in view of the world-wide increase of the nuclear and radiation technology. The principle of radiation protection is explained by giving limit values in order to exclude non-stochastic radiation injuries and to limit stochastic injuries to a measure worth being advocated for persons exposed to radiation. The importance of the risk calculation necessary for the derivation of limit values is explained and thereby is referred to the open problems in connection with the dose-effect relations for certain radiation effects. Finally in the light of two examples the actually presumable risk for the physician and his staff and for the patient is demonstrated which altogether is to be classified as extremely low.

[From the beginnings of radon therapy]. / GESCHICHTE DER MEDIZIN. Aus den Anfängen der Radontherapie.

The renaissance of the radon therapy in several countries since the end of the Second World War is made the occasion for a review to the beginnings of this special form of radiotherapy. Initially the early history of radioactivity research is described which among others led to the detection of the emanation as daughter product of radium. After this followed the evidence of the emanation as constituent of the natural atmosphere. The establishment of its presence in spring-waters led to the knowledge that there are more than average concentrations of emanation in several mineral springs. In the second part of the article the therapeutic use of the natural radion springs initiated by this is described in its development and importance for Austria (Badgastein, St. Joachimsthal) and Germany (Bad Brambach) up to the beginning of the First World War.

[Radiation exposure of the respiratory tract to radionuclides in the environment]. / Die Strahlenbelastung der Atemwege durch die Radionuklide der Umwelt.

Epidemiological investigations concerning lung cancer mortality of miners in radioactive underground climate have clearly resulted that the alpha-radiation of radon daughters emerging from the geological formations represent the causative factor for the accumulation of these lung cancers. The same radionuclides are also important as components of the natural radiation exposure, above all in houses built with radium containing material. Estimations of the risk referring to this form of natural radiation exposure allow rough calculation of its role for lung cancer incidence in GDR. Accordingly about 10%, in men 5% and 50% in females, of the cases of lung cancer may be caused by the natural inhalative radiation exposure. Natural radioactivity by coal and coal ashes as well by tobacco smoke are shortly outlined in their additional significance. The measures of radiation protection legal in GDR to limit inhalative exposure, above all in buildings, by supervision and selection of building material are described.

[Ionizing radiation and bronchial carcinoma]. / Ionisierende Strahlung und Bronchialkarzinom.

The paper presents a survey of the radiation induced bronchial carcinoma with particular reference to occupational conditions. The central subject is the so-called Schneeberg disease as the most frequent and best studied type of such carcinoma, concerning the aetiology and epidemiology of the disease. After a short historical introduction the importance of the shortliving radon daughters as the actually injurious agents in the underground mines with a radioactive climate is discussed. The evaluation of this type of radiation exposure after inhalation of alpha-emitting radionuclides by means of the measuring quantities working level and working level month is described. From the several publications on the results of epidemiological investigations concerning the incidence of bronchial carcinoma among uranium miners the reports from USA and CSSR are referred to somewhat more in detail. The possibility of a radioactive climate in nonuranium mines and other underground installations is pointed out. Other types of radiation induced bronchial carcinoma are mentioned, emphasizing the character of the Schneeberg disease as a model for all these other kinds. Finally, the possibility to derive risk estimates from the results of epidemiological investigations is demonstrated by means of some selected examples.

[The combined effect of ionizing radiation and smoking on the causation of bronchial carcinoma (author's transl)]. / Die kombinierte Wirkung von ionisierender Strahlung und Rauchen bei der Verursachung des Lungenkrebses.

For the prevention of bronchial carcinoma the identification of its causes is of highest priority. Especial attention should be dedicated to the combined action of several factors. In this paper a review is given on the combination effect of simultaneous action of ionizing radiation and smoking observed by epidemiological studies in miners exposed to radon and its consecutive products. The amplifying action of both factors observed under working conditions brought about to refer to such combinations in smokers also outside their working life. This results from the natural loading by radiation of the respiratory tract, from radioactive material in the emmission of power stations on the base of fossil fuels, and from the contents of tobacco with 210Pb and 210Po. The combined action of radiation and smoking is regarded as another motivation to give up smoking strictly.

[The occurrence of Heinz bodies in the erythrocytes of persons exposed to low dose radiation during work]. / Das Vorkommen von Heinz-Körpern in den Erythrozyten von im niederen Dosisbereich strahlenexponiert arbeitenden Personen

274 persons were examined by the provocation test of Heinz's bodies according to BEUTLER. 168 of them were working under x-rays exposure. No correlation could be identified between the dosage and the presence of Heinz's bodies in the lower range of the dosage related to the annual x-rays load and the integrated total exposure.