The Fluid-Flow Theory and Indirect Action of Radiation1

Journal/Book: Reprinted from RADIOLOGY Vol. 78 No. 4 Pages 536-543 April 1962.. 1962;

Abstract: TITUS C. EVANS Ph.D. 1 From the Radiation Research Laboratory College of Medicine State University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa. One of a group of papers honoring Dr. Gioacchino Failla. The writer was associated with Dr. Failla as a member of the Radiological Research Laboratory of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University during the years 1942 to 1948. He is indebted not only to Dr. Failla but to his earlier associates as well who passed an to younger members of the group the knowledge and enthusiasm for research in radiation effects that had been instilled in them by the "Chief." The investigations an which this report is based have been aided by grants from the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission Division of Biology and Medicine; the National Institutes of Health U.S.P.H.S. ; and the American Cancer Society. IN 1937 DR. FAILLA published a "fluid-flow" theory of the biologic action of ionizing radiation (1) postulating that ionization increased the osmotic pressure within the cell causing it to swell. This stress together with the production of deleterious substances and local damage to membranes would serve to account for cell death under certain conditions and for cell recovery under others. Failla and Sugiura (2) in 1939 reported findings in irradiated mouse sarcoma 180 tumor cells which tended to support this theory. They tested the postulate further by injecting tumors with distilled water following local treatment with roentgen rays (3) and found greater destruction in these tumors than in those injected with saline. In the ensuing years the attention of radiobiologists became focused an the nucleus an cell division and an chromosome aberrations. This was due in part to the resurgent interest in the target theory and the RBE studies demonstrating the importance of specific ionization. Many of the cellular findings appeared to be satisfied by target theory mechanisms. Some of these observations may be mentioned i.e. dose effect curves based an killing of micro-organisms and an mutation frequency localized irradiation of chromosomes lack of effect of temperature and metabolic rate in modifying many radiation effects lack of effect of protraction or fractionation in altering certain radiation injuries and the finding of optimal specific ionization for efficiency of radiation production of chromosome aberrations. ___MH

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