US1547665A - Method and apparatus for generating electronic disturbances - Google Patents

Description

July 28, 1925.

C. M. PAGE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING ELECTRONIC DISTURBANCES Filed June 23, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 40 n, m w r P o 0 m f VK I 1 1 n I u fcwam f .lll IlllL 2 1 WzuW 1 5 g. 3 I.

M R P 5 t m u, a m 4/ I a P a 9 a H T. [v M; J I I I l l I I n y ya 1:: Ca M 9 July 28. 1925.

C. M. PAGE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING ELECTRONIC DISTURBANCBS Filed June 23, s 2 sham-sum z 35 w 73 Pa tient Patented Jul 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

CARL M. PAGE, or ennnvmirtmors.

METHOD AND AZPI'PARATUS FOR GENERATING- ELECTRONIC DIS TURBANCESI Application filed June 23, 1923. Serial No. 647,226.

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, CARL M. PAGE, 2. citi-' 'zen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Geneva, inthe county of Kane and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in a Method, and Apparatus for Generating Electronic It is now generally believed by those skilled in the art of X-rays and radi0-active systems that the X-ray itself is ineffectiveand owes all itsactivity to the electrons or corpuscles. which it produces when arrested. The same maybe said of the ac- .tive radiation from radium and all radioactive substances. In radiotherapy then it would appear that the only purpose served by the -X-ray orthe radio active rays is to plant the action deeper in-the body. The

Y It is believedthat'the X-ray of a certain lack of control of the depth of the penetration of the rays and the inability to regulate intelligently their amount or intensity is agreat handicap in their therapeutic use. The danger of over-exposure of thepatient to these rays is recognized by all Workers and often the most elaborate precautions prove insuflicient to obviate the same.

vThis invention presents a basic conception of a method and provides an apparatus whereby this desired corpuscular stimulus may be imparted to the living cells and tissues of the human body without exposing the body in any way to the'rays themselves. In this manner danger to the patient under treatment and to the operator is removed.

hardness or frequency or the rays from radio-active substances such as the gamma rays of radium which have a characteristic frequency or hardness when arrested by malignant cells have the effect of causing ,such cells to disappear. tivity is concededi to be due to the electronic disturbance produced at the time of and it is to this that theextremely valu- This marked acf arrest of the ray by the cells or tissues of that area. The electronic disturbance produced by the. arrest of the ray has a fre- .quency of impulse or oscillation related to the frequency of the exciting electro-magnetic wave or. ray. This disturbance may Well be termed an oscillating electric current having a frequency related to .theirequency of the exciting ray or. wave as stated able properties of-X-ray and rays .tfI'Qm radio-active substances .in the treatment of malignant disease, may be attributed. In

many chemical and biological reactions a method of generating such electrical oscillation of varied frequency from a very slow frequency to an extremely high frequency,

would be of greataid. I

I This invention provides a method and describes an, apparatus" by means of which such corpuscular disturbances may be generated and controlled and which may be used in radiotherapy for all] purposes, where now rays orelectro-magnetic waves themselves are usedand without: the danger. of injury to the-operator or patient from improper exposure to the rays as is the case in existing methods of treatment;

,It is thereforebroadly an object of this invention to provideas-meth0d and apparatus whereby an electrically-conductive circuit may be made electrically active and this electrical activity made controllable It is also an important object of this 1nyention to provide a method and apparatus of the class described wherein an arrest ment ot generated electro-magnetic rays or waves is effected ata point separated from the point of application of the resulting disturbance. I I

I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings certain apparatus whichiis well adapted for the carrying out of the method otthis invention but; it will be? apparent that many modifications and elaboratlons of this apparatus v will be in I ac'cordan ce;v with the spirit and within the scop'e' of th s nvention.

a On the drawings- Figure 1 illustrates-a apparatus adapted for the generationf from beta raysoof radium.; Figure 2 illustrates a c1rcu1t andapparatus for generating desired electronic disturbances from gamma rays of r mthereto. I

nari ly obtained through intermlttent surges 'at a desired low frequency, between surges paratus for the purpose described, wherein the patient orob ject to be treatedis included in the primary c rcuit. As. shown on the drawings In all of the .apparatus illustrated I have broadlyprovided a source of electromagnetic raysor wavessuch as a Coolidge tube orproperly. prepared ra-dio-actlve substances 1 such as radium, an in-closure for this source of electromagnetic rays or waves, means for arresting these waves to create an electronic disturbance and a circuit .whereby tihis resulting electronic disturbance may be conducted to the patient or .tothe object to "be. treated.

I have ordinarilyconstructed the arresting means from a suitable metal of high atomic weight such as. platinum and I purpose including the source of electro-magnetiic rays or waves within a casing of material such as lead which will be impervious More benefic al results are ordiand to this endI have included in the circuit shown, a. low frequency vibrator connected through .a suitable .circuit to the source or generatorv so 'that a desired electrostatic tension or potential maybe provided at said "source. Itlis of cours 'sunderstood that this v'i'b-rator may be dispensed with if deslred and a .direct connection utilized.

In all of the diagrams included .in the drawings I have designated the closed. vibrator circuit by the reference numerall the constantpotential source such as a storage battery or a static machine or high potential generator by the numeral 2; the vibratonian armature or pendulum of which is adapted to make and break a circuit through the battery by the reference nuineralfg; and the lead container or housing for the electromagnetic wave or ray generator, by the reference. numeral 4,

It is ofcourse'understood that the potent l. ppli d f o t e m e b t y 2 m y be varied by means of changeable connectors, external resistance, or in any desired manner. I

In Figure 1 the apparatusillustrated is particularly adapted for causing a genera tion of desired electronic disturbance from beta rays of radlum or like substance. In

apparatus the radium or similar substances h is placed on a metallic plate 6 which is'positioned opposite to a positively charged target plate 7, said plate 7 in turn 4 being connected through an inductance 8 to the vibrator. One purpose of the inductance 8 is to choke back the high frequency oscillations from the circuit just described, thus causing it to flow through the circuit which includes thepatient or object to be treated.

The electro-static state is indicated by the signs on the drawing and it will be apparent that beta rays discharged from the radium or similar substances 5 will imping against the target plate 7 and colliding therewith and having their velocity suddenly altered, propagates X-rays in the general direction of plate '6. The arrestment thereon results in the creation of electronic disturbances in the circuit formed through the conductors 9-10 leading to the patient or object to be treated, these electronic disturbances causing the desired therapeutic or other effect at the point of application. Alterations in the natural period of the circuit may be .con-

.veniently achieved by means of variablecondensers 11 and the battery circuit through the storage. battery 2 is conveniently completed through ground connections 12.

In Figures 2 and 3, I have illustrated apparatus and circuits which are adapted for the utilizationof the gamma rays of radium or other radio-active substances, the radium 15- being placed upon a positively charged plate 6; The target plate 7 in this instance is negatively charged. In the case of the utilizat on of the gamma rays itis of course understood that the frequency thereof cannot be well controlledand for this reason the ',utilization thereof, at their natural. sfrea quency is contemplated in the modifiedform of circuitillustrated in Figure 3. A target plate"?! of somewhat different form than "the targetplate .7 'is provided in addition to the positively and negatively charged plates '6 and 6 said deflector plate 7* being con- 'Associated. with the negatively charged electrode 17 of the generator isa heated filament which is supplied with energy. from a storage battery or other suitable source,

18,,as will,be noted from Figure 4. The face of electrode 15 is positioned at an angle 's'othat rays emitted from the same will be repelled substantially at right. angles against a targetplate 19 constructed. of suitable high atomic weight material;,said target plate 19 being connected in a circuit 2021 leading to a patient or object to be treated. The circuit through the battery 2 is completed through suitable ground con nections 22. c r

.In Figure 5 a circuit in which the patient or object to be treated is included in the primary circuit through conductors 232 l;

, the conductor 24 leading to a positively charged target plate 25 of the generator which coacts with a negatively charged radium carrying plate 26 to produce a desired corpuscular disturbance in the manner above described.

In this circuit andin the trated in Fig. 6wherein the patient or object to be treated is also included in the primary circuit, return connection through the battery 2 is provided by grounds 27 and in both of these circuits a variable con denser 28 is provided in the circuit between the vibrator 3 and the patient or object to be treated. y

In the circuit illustrated in Figure 6 a Coolidge tube 29 of the type above described is provided with a heated cathode deriving energy from a local battery circuit 30. It

will be noted in this circuit that the face of the positively charged electrode or target 31 is parallel to the face of the negatively charged electrode 32. The circuit to the patient or the object to be treated 1n this case is completed through conductors 3 3 and 34. In connection with the circults utilized in Figures 5 and 6 it will benoted that the inductance or choke is eliminated and in these cases the primary circuit is react ve both to the static potential due to the battery and to the current or electronic effect due to the corpuscular reaction between the cathode of the generator and the anodeof the same. In the circuits illustrated in Figures 4 and 6, the patient is ordinarily placed on an insulated stool and the Coolidge tubes used are adapted for the production of soft rays which nevertheless havethe characteristics of and in fact are X-rays. With this arrangement the patient suffers no discomfort and is in no danger.

It is believed that the theory of operation of the foregoin apparatus and circuits 'will be understood rom the foregoing description. If the velocity of an electron be suddenly altered an X-ray is generated. If the alteration of the speed of the electron is very great the frequency of the generated X-ray will be high; if the alteration is slower the frequency will be lower. An X-ray is an electro-magnetic disturbance and if arrested by matter produces a cor puscular disturbance or electric current of a relative frequency. Under the conditions of circuit above illustrated and described maln'ng proper adjustment for given frequencies it becomes possible to transmit such oscillations through an external circuit to circuit illuscially "constructed container for any radio active substance capable of discharging electrons may be substituted such as radium or metals under ultra-violet light.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that this invention provides a method and apparatus for permitting a proper application of effective elecronic 'disturbances to a patient or object to be treated, the apparatus obviating the dangerof injury to the patient or operator.

I am aware that numerous detalls 1n the methods of application and construction of circuits and apparatus used may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention r I X 1. The method of; producing a desired electronic disturbance which consists in generating rays adapted to produce such a disturbance, arresting such rays at a point external to the desired point of application thereof by the interposition of material of high atomic weight in the path of said rays, conducting the electronic disturbance created by such arrestment of the rays through a definite circuit to a desired point of application and controlling the flow of such disturbance by the application of electrostatic pressure.

2. The method of producing a desired electronic disturbance which consists in generating rays having the characteristics of X-rays or radium rays, arresting such rays to produce the desired electronic disturbance, applying a desired intermittent pressure to said disturbance and conducting the disturbance produced through a metallic circuit to a desired point of application.

3. The method of producing a desired electronic disturbance which consists in gen- 4:. An apparatus for the purpose described comprising a source of electromagnetic waves or rays, an enclosure therefore substantially imprevious to the waves or rays generated, means inside the enclosure for arresting said Waves or rays, a circuit leading from the enclosure for conducting the resulting 'electronical' disturbances to a point of application and means for varying the pressure applied to such disturbances.

5. An apparatus for the purpose described comprising a source of or generator for Waves or rays adapted to produce a desired electronic disturbance, means for causing an intermittent increase of potential'at said source, an enclosure at said source substantially impervious to rays or Waves generated, means inside the enclosure for arresting said Waves or rays and a cir- 'cuit leading from the enclosure for conductingthe resulting electronic disturbances to a point of application.

6. In an apparatus for the purpose described, a source of electromagnetic Waves or rays, an enclosure therefore substantially imprevious to the rays or Waves generated at the source, means for varying the electrostatic potentialat said source, means inside the enclosure for arresting said Waves or rays and a circuitv leading from the enclosure for conducting the resulting elecsubscribing witnesses.

a point of applicathe flow of the'disturbance therein.

8. In an apparatus for the purpose described, a source of' potential, a vibrator connected thereto, a circuit including a generator of Waves or rays adapted to produce a desired electronic disturbance adapted to be intermittentlyconnected by the Vibrator to said source of potential, means for arresting said'rays external to a point of application thereof and a-circuit for conducting the said electronic disturbances created by the arresting of said Waves or rays.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two CARL M. PAGE.

itnesses: r

A. R. Dow,

WM; C. WOOD-

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