hey guys and welcome back to the channel today we're going to be discussing a truly shocking tale from the annals of medical history that is the story of Eben bers also known as the man who drank radium but before we dive into the chilling details let's shed some light on the science behind radium and its dual nature in both medicine and tragedy radium discover by Pierre and Mary cury in 1898 fascinated scientists and public alike by its luminescent properties and purported health benefits its ability to emit alpha beta and gamma radiation made it a sorta
element in both medical application and the industrial fields for example in the medical field radiation therapy helped to revolutionize Cancer Treatments giving hope to countless patients by by targeting and destroying cancerous cells and whether it's been used to diagnose illnesses with radiography or used to sterilize medical equipment radiation has played a pivotal role in modern Healthcare however the darker side of radium emerged when it found its way into consumer goods where it was advertised as a cure all elixir for vitality and Youth and one such product was rador a radium infused tonic that was sold
as a cure all for various different ailments enter Ean buers a wealthy industrialist who fell victim to the Allure of RoR in the 1920s Ean was born on the 12th of October 1880 to a particularly wealthy family and after graduating from Yale University he went on to become the vice president of his father's steel mill however Ean was also a very keen Sportsman particularly talented at both Golf and Polo however in 1927 after an unfortunate accident where he fell on a train and injured his arm Ean was no longer able to participate in athletic events
this was until his doctor prescribed him a drink called rador telling him that it would help to ease his pain Mr buers quickly hooked on to this drink consuming several bottles a day in fact it stated he was so enthusiastic about it that he often gifted bottles of it to his friends and believing that it would enhance his General Vigor and overall well-being Mr buers consumed copious amounts of this tonic over several years according to research each bottle of rador contains one microgram of radium and 1 microgram of eorum distilled in water now with with
our modern-day understanding of radiation toxicity we know that radium can exert its toxic effects on the body in doses as low as 10 microgram and considering that Mr bers was consuming one bottle of rador per meal it's no wonder he ended up meeting his demise tragically B's faith in RoR led to his undoing the radium accumulated in his bones emitting radiation which caused Havoc around his body he suffered excruciating pain bone necrosis and severe anemia before succumbing to his injuries you see the danger with radium is that it has the unique ability to mimic calcium
in your body it gets incorporated into bone tissue where it continues to emit radiation which effectively causes irreversible damage to your bones and the surrounding structures The Wall Street Journal commemorated Mr B's death with the following headline the radium water worked fine until his jaw dropped off and so this story went on to become one of the most red in decades going on to be published in several other research outlets and so really this story should serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked scientific enthusiasm and the need and importance of rigorous testing
and regulation clearly radium held promise as a tool for progress but due to its misuse this led to Untold suffering and loss from glow-in-the-dark watch dials to luminescent paints radium's ubiquity in everyday products led to numerous cases of radiation poisoning and in some cases even the death of unsuspecting consumers and workers let's take a look at another case study that is the tragic Saga of the radium girls brace yourselves as we unravel the horrifying reality of their story story The Story begins in the early 20th century where young women known as the radium girls were
employed in factories to paint watch dials with radium infused paint but little did they know that this seemingly harmless job would lead to unimaginable suffering radium as we've already mentioned is a radioactive element that's able to emit powerful radiation that's able to penetrate through the human body wrecking havoc on your tissues and organs the radium girls were unaware of this danger ingesting the toxic substance when they licked the tips of their paint brushes to achieve finer points and over time as they continued with their work they began to develop really alarming symptoms of severe pain
necrosis of the jaw and unexplained fractures their bodies were literally disintegrating from within due to the Relentless onslaught of this radiation exposure there are even some reported cases where some women lost their whole mouth's worth of teeth in just under 2 weeks just imagine watching your own bones glow in the dark a grotesque Testament to the effects of radiation poisoning overall the radium girls endured unimaginable Agony as their health deteriorated or while their employers turned a blind eye to their suffering however fueled by their determination for justice the radium girls fought back at the companies
who carelessly endangered their lives their courage and resilience paved a way for significant changes in workplace practices and increased the awareness of the dangers of radiation I guess from my perspective the legacy of the radium girls serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of corporate negligence and greed really their sacrifice led to a crucial advancement in work of protection and public health awareness but the scars of their ordeal continue to haunt us till this day okay guys thank you for joining me today as we've uncovered the horrifying effect of radium on the body
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