I had complete confidence in the knowledge and integrity possessed by both men. Douglas gives them “virtual carte blanche to proceed – without consulting his cabinet, the university, or even medical experts.” Johns and Blair then visit Premier Tommy Douglas without an appointment to seek permission to purchase a betatron (a high-energy accelerator) to treat cancer patients. Johns said, yes, a betatron and a cobalt-60 unit.” (Merle Massie, A Radiant Life, 38-39.) asked him if he had seen anything that he would like to have in Saskatchewan. “On this tour, Johns saw and heard much that was new and exciting in the application of radiation physics to cancer treatment….Johns returned to Saskatchewan. Tommy Douglas in 1944 Harold Johns takes a tour of North American radiological centres. The phone rang at all hours of the day and night, so we were very aware that something very important was taking place.'' - Gwen Greenstock, daughter of Harold Johns, inventor of the cobalt-60 unit in a 1994 CBC interview 1946 There were visitors from all over the world. Prior to the Cobalt-60, cancer therapy through radiation could only get to superficial tumors, but now this treatment could treat tumors that were deep-set and difficult to access.” – Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, Citation for posthumous induction of Dr. He invented and developed the Cobalt-60 machine which had an immediate impact on the cancer survival rate. Johns took great strides in the fight against cancer. Harold Johns jointly appointed to the USask physics department and the Saskatchewan Cancer Commission supervised radium and X-ray therapy equipment for Saskatchewan’s two cancer clinics, becoming Canada’s “first full-time cancer physicist.” He came to be known as “the father of medical physics in Canada.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |