ABSTRACT
Since the discovery of radium by Madame Curie in the early twentieth century, it
has been the dream of medical practitioners to use radioactive emissions for treat-
ment of human disease. Indeed, Madame Curie and her coworkers found that
certain superficial skin diseases underwent dramatic responses after exposure
to radiation and the fields of radiobiology and radiation oncology were born
(1). In the 30 years post-World War II, many new radioisotopes were discovered
and purified for medical use. In fact, medical radioisotope therapy use and
research has paralleled the development of all other uses of atomic energy. Col-
loidal gold and phosphorous (P-32) were some of the earliest radioisotopes used
in therapy (2). The discovery of a myriad of new radioisotopes for medical use
followed rapidly, along with new radiochemistry procedures for labeling drugs
and biologic agents. The history of therapy with unsealed sources can trace its
roots to the beginnings of the atomic age, the birth of radiochemistry as a disci-
pline, radioimmunoassay, and modern nuclear medicine imaging.
