Edited by: Milton Friedman, M.D., Marshall Brucer, M.D., and Elizabeth Anderson
Published by: U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
Printed by: U.S. Government Printing Office (1959, document #501501)
Total Pages: 495
Binding: Hardcover, burgundy cloth with gold stamped title
Weight: 3 lbs 13 oz
Conference Date: July 15–18, 1956
Location: Medical Division, Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
This book is a printed proceedings volume of a pivotal 1956 symposium on supervoltage radiation therapy, a field in its early stages at the time. Topics likely include:
Teletherapy and megavoltage X-ray treatment (e.g., cobalt-60 use)
Dosimetry and radiation field mapping (as evidenced by diagrams and charts)
Techniques in tumor targeting and dose measurement
Development and evaluation of medical linear accelerators
Case studies, including anatomical imaging and dose distribution
Historical records of clinical experimentation in early U.S. nuclear medicine
The volume represents a key documentation of the mid-century intersection of nuclear physics, medicine, and government-sponsored research, and shows Oak Ridge's transition from wartime atomic research to peacetime therapeutic uses of radiation.
Dr. Milton Friedman, M.D. – Not to be confused with the economist, this Friedman was involved in medical physics or radiology under the U.S. AEC's health programs.
Dr. Marshall Brucer, M.D. – A well-known pioneer in nuclear medicine; headed the Medical Division at Oak Ridge.
Elizabeth Anderson – Likely responsible for organizing and compiling the symposium’s proceedings.
Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies (ORINS):
A major Cold War-era institution central to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission’s medical and radiation safety programs. It evolved into ORAU (Oak Ridge Associated Universities) and later contributed to ORISE (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education).
#OakRidge #AtomicEnergyCommission #MedicalPhysics #RadiationTherapy #Cobalt60 #Supervoltage #ORNL #NuclearMedicine #RareMedicalBooks #ORAU