the International Standard or of some certified duplicate
of it. In 1914, the United States Bureau of Standards
at Washington, obtained a certified duplicate of the International
 Radium Standard and since then practically all
quantities of Radium in this country have been measured
by comparison with it.
For use by the medical profession, Radium is measured
and sold by the Gram, i. e., a small thimbleful. The price
of a Gram is $120,000. The gram is divided into a thousand
parts, each of which is called a milligram. These sell for
$120 each. The average physician who has Radium has
from 50 to 250 milligrams. When each preparation has
been made up in the special form designated by the physician,
 the purity of the Radium and the accuracy of detail
of the container, is certified to by the Head of the Radium
Research Laboratories of the Company. The preparation
is then transmitted to the Bureau of Standards at Washington
 for comparison with the Government’s duplicate of
the International Radium Standard. With the official
certificate of the Bureau of Standards, the preparation is
then sent to the purchaser with the request that he examine
and note that the seals of the United States Government
are unbroken. This gives him the best of guarantees as
to the Radium he has purchased from the Company.
Therapeutically, there has been a gradual and steady
increase in the use of Radium since 1912. With this
increased demand, the production of Radium has kept
pace. The earlier, over enthusiastic statements of the
value of Radium in the treatment of Cancer, have not
been wholly confirmed and Radium is far from being the
panacea in the treatment of diseases. Nevertheless, in
the use of Radium, in certain types of advanced, inoperable
cancer, gives palliation by the relief of pain and freeing
from foul smelling discharges. This degree of palliation
can be attained by no other treatment, and if used for this
alone, Radium would be considered invaluable. In other
types of cancerous growths, Radium has produced cures,
and surgeons throughout the world are gradually admitting
that Radium is a necessary adjunct in the treatment of