Brucer M
Med Phys. 1993 Nov-Dec;20(6):1601-5. doi: 10.1118/1.596947.
In 1912 many physicians considered radium a cure for cancer but few could afford it because radium cost a fortune. William Duane, Marie Curie's associate, discovered that "radium milk" (later officially named radon) was easier for physicians to use. In 1915 he built Boston's first radium "cow" and thousands of patients were treated with its "milk." But because radon decayed with high-energy alpha emissions, it also became the first "atom smasher." Making radon available to nuclear scientists was one of America's major contributions to an evolving nuclear age.
1912年，许多医生认为镭能治愈癌症，但很少有人买得起，因为镭价格昂贵。玛丽·居里的同事威廉·杜安发现，“镭乳”（后来正式命名为氡）对医生来说使用起来更方便。1915年，他制造了波士顿的第一头镭“母牛”，成千上万的患者用它的“乳汁”接受了治疗。但由于氡会通过高能阿尔法辐射衰变，它也成为了第一台“原子粉碎机”。让核科学家能够使用氡是美国对不断发展的核时代的重大贡献之一。
