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figures, but while we are reducing some unproductive radiation that
was previously being given we are at the same time increasing the
volume and increasing the new procedures which are done in radio-

logical work for our population. Whereit is going to finally wind up,

I don’t know.
Quite likely, for the best good of the Nation, we ought to give our
population three or four times as much radiation exposure as we are
now giving in order to accomplish the best medical care and the best
medical good for them. I think there are trendsin this direction of
which I would like to speak a little moreof later.
Representative Price. Let me understand you. You say we ought
to give them more exposure?
Dr. CHAMBERLAIN. Quite likely we are not yet doing all of the
medical procedures which can be done for the people, and there are
new procedures being developed which, when they are properly incorporated into medical care, will raise the amount given for medicine.
Representative Price. Will you proceed, please ?
Dr. Cuampertarn. I thought it was of interest to try to get some
assessment as to what has been done about trying to improveradiation
practice in the United States, and particularly because I feel that the
most important element is the educational one in trying to assess this.
During the past 5 years there has been an increasing amount of
activity in medical journals and medical societies and in the various
medical exhibits and other methods of educational technique which
are used in medical education. We did a survey to try to get some
estimate of this. About half of the radiologists of the country who
are members of the American College of Radiology replied to this
questionnaire. I thought it was interesting and important that this
half had personally given something like 15,000 speeches, talks, exhibits, and papers on radiation protection and the proper use of
radiation to other physicians and workers in the medical field. It
seemed to me that this was a commendable indication. The medical
schools were also investigated and only two of the schools do not have
formal instruction, or plansfor it, in the immediate future. Seventyeight do have definite formal instruction in radiation protection now,
with an average of something like 414 hours spread across the various
schools.

There has also been a great increase in the number of papers published on radiation use and its control in the medical press. We
analyzed several journals including the radiology specialty journals,
the State journals, and the Journal of the American Medical Association, finding an increase in all of these.
Wealso looked into the numbers of aids, slides, movies, and so on
that were used. A very beautiful movie has been done by the U.S.
Navy Medical Department. Wefind that these have reached a very
wide and representative audience—something like a third of all the
physicians in the United States have seen the American College of Rachology movie. The booklet that the American College of Radiology
put cut hax gone to every practicing physician in the United States.
Not only are these specialty groups working on trying io encourage
good practice, but a group of other physicians, such as the Academy
of Pediatrics, have done commendable work to this end.

Anofficial

action by the Academy of Pediatrics discourages the use of conven-

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