Radium Standards and Nomenclature

Abstract

THE International Congress of Radiology and Electricity, held at Brussels, September 12th to I5th, afforded an excellent opportunity of discussing several important questions of general interest to workers in radio-activity. The need of a definite radium standard, in which all results should be expressed, has been growing more acute with the increase of accuracy of radio-active measurements. At the present time, scientific results are expressed in many cases in terms of arbitrary radium standards kept in each laboratory, and it has been difficult to be certain of the accuracy or relative value of such standards. Mr. C. E. S. Phillips several years ago pointed out to the Röntgen Society the desirability of adopting a fixed radium standard, and arranged for the preparation of several small radium standards which were compared with the working standard adopted by Rutherford and Boltwood. Duplicates of the latter standard have been used for several years by a number of English, American, and Continental workers.