1. Chapter 5: The Instability of Matter
Presentation by Zack Massengill, Asher Thornton,
and Caitlyn Bishop.

2. Curie Therapy
Marie and Pierre Curie

3. Radium Therapy France was the only country to call this Curie Therapy
Using radium on human test subjects in radiation therapy
“The radiumtherapy and the radium production developed conjointly, and the results were more and more important for the treatment of several diseases, and particularly of cancer. As a consequence of this, several institutes have been founded, in the large cities, for the application of the new therapy. Some of these institutes own several grams of radium, the commercial price of the gram being now about $70,000, the cost of production depending on the very small proportion of radium in the ore.” Marie Curie [1923]
Cost of a gram of Radium today = $100,000-$120,000
Took Marie and Pierre Curie 4 years to create a 1/10th gram of Radium from pitchblende

4. X-ray apparatus used for treatment of epithelioma of the face, 1915
X-ray apparatus used for treatment of epithelioma of the face, The tube is in a localizing shield; and a perforated sheet of metal is securely fashioned to the surface by adhesive plaster

5. Man with neck cancer receiving radiotherapy treatment from a Sluys and Kessler radium "bomb" designed in Belgium in This bomb produced radiation from 13 radium sources mounted on a metal hemisphere placed close to the patient's skin. The sources were held inside lead casing to stop radiation leakage. Each source focused on the cancer from a different angle, so that this was the only tissue that received radiation from all 13.

6. Man with head and neck cancer receiving radiotherapy treatment from a surface plaque, or mould, in the 1920s
Neck cancer treatment

8. Atomic Bomb Damage Status: Hiroshima (pg 81)
The image Redniss includes to show the damage in Hiroshima gives readers the radius and degree of damage done to the city in A large percentage of the city was completely incinerated, as shown by the red. How did Hiroshima recover from this? Is the city still radioactive?
A little over a week after the bomb, people began inhabiting the city again and started restoration. Plant life returned much sooner than expected. Quality of living was not exceptional, but it was liveable and recovering. (Source)
Hiroshima City is no longer radioactive, due to the fact that the atomic bomb was highly lethal. Highly lethal bomb radiation is radioactive for a short period of time- from about a couple hours to a few weeks. (Source)

9. Sadae Kasaoka: The Survivor
Sadae Kasaoka and her family were victims of what happens when radioactivity comes in contact with human skin. She is now 76 years old and remembers the bombing like it was yesterday. Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan was very interested in what happened to Sadae. Hanraham presented Kasaoka with an idea of an event that recognizes the anniversary of the bombings over Hiroshima and Nagasaki and states the need for worldwide collaboration for peace. The events were called Voices for Peace. (

10. Radiation Exposure
Sadae’s father was a victim of radiation exposure and Sadae tells the graphic details of finding her father after the exposure.
The following images are graphic.

11. Radiation Exposure
Radioactive burns cause damage to the skin or other biological tissue caused by exposure to radiation. The radiation types of greatest concern are thermal radiation, radio frequency energy, ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation. However people like Sadae in Hiroshima experienced an excessive amount of radiation to the body and caused intense burns, peeling of the face, and cancer.

13. What Is: Nuclear Fission Chain Reaction
A chain reaction refers to a process in which neutrons released in fission produce an additional fission in at least one further nucleus. This nucleus in turn produces neutrons, and the process repeats over and over again without being destroyed. The process may be controlled, for example nuclear power or uncontrolled like in nuclear weapons.
If each neutron releases two more neutrons, then the number of fissions doubles each generation.(Source)

14. Pg. 80 - The Nuclear Fission
Chain Reaction.
Discussion
How could this picture
be representative of scientific
discoveries and knowledge?

15. Group Analysis
What is the significance of both Marie and Pierre’s quotes being shown at the beginning? Why is it the only chapter with a quote from Pierre?
What is the symbolic meaning of the symmetry on pages 70-71?
How does the image of the nuclear fission chain reaction symbolize scientific growth?
What is the significance of the texts formation?
What is the intention behind the significant amounts of personal accounts in this chapter?

16. Works Cited Curie Therapy Pictures:
Marie Curie, Pierre Curie with Autobiographical Notes. Translated by Charlotte and Vernon Kellogg (New York: Macmillan, 1923).
Radiation Pictures:
Nuclear Fission
Picture of nuclear fission from Radioactive by Lauren Redniss.

17. Work Cited (cont.) Sadae