Description: A gas proportional radiation counting tube.

Caption: The tube has rubber around the lead in wires which enabled it to be swallowed by a patient (though this is badly perished due to heating during sterilization and contact with stomach acids). It is a slightly cruder version of GLAHM 113550. this miniature tube could measure the rate of absorption of radioactive tracers from the blood stream that had previously been given by injection.

Introduction: This is a miniature tube designed at Glasgow University for medical research as an intra-gastrinal counter or 'stomach counter'. The anode is tungsten and the cathode is made of copper foil wrapped around the glass tube. As radiation interacts with the cathode the energy received releases electrons. The electrons create a small electric current that is proportional to the amount of radiation. (see also GLAHM 105991)

Background: The tube was designed to detect radioactive isotopes of phosphorus and potassium (P32) and (42K). These radioactive tracer was normally administered as an intravenous injection of 100 micro-curies of (P32) in the form of ortho phosphoric acid in a normal saline solution. If the patient had an ulcer for example the internal bleeding would cause the tracer to be detected more quickly than in a patient with a normal stomach.

Reference: Lloyd, John, Travers. "Atomics and Atomic Technology", Vol 4, No 7, July 1953 pp. 165-6

Reference: Lenihan, J. M. A. & Stephens, J.. "Gastroenterologia *Seperatum* Vol 81 No 2 Proceedings of the British Society of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting at Edinburgh, 6th and 7th November, 1953", 1954

Historical Context: Commissioning - Who: Sir Charles Frederick William Illingworth (1899-1991)

Historical Context: Commissioning by Sir Charles Illingworth - When: 1949

Historical Context: Commissioning by Sir Charles Illingworth, Western Infirmary, Glasgow University - Where: Glasgow, Scotland

Historical Context: Design - Who: Curran, Samuel Crowe, Professor, later Sir (1912-1998) Physicist and first principal of Glasgow's Strathclyde University

Historical Context: Design by Samuel Curran - Where: Department of Natural Philosophy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, Scotland

Historical Context: Design by Samuel Curran in the Department of Natural Philsosophy - When: 1949

Historical Context: Design of the Geiger-Muller counting tube - When: 1928 - Who: Muller, Walther - Who: Geiger, Hans Wilhelm (1882-1945) German physicist

Historical Context: Design of the Geiger-Muller counting tube, Keil University - Where: Germany

Historical Context: Discovery of the photovoltaic effect - Who: Becquerel, Alexander Edmond (1820-1891) French physicist and chemist

Historical Context: Discovery of the photovoltaic effect by Becquerel - When: 1839 - Where: Paris, France

Historical Context: Invention of the counting tube - Who: Rutherford, Ernest, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (1871-1937) New Zealand born physicist

Historical Context: Invention of the counting tube by Rutherford and Geiger - When: 1908 - Where: Manchester, England

Historical Context: Manufacture - Who: Lloyd, John (Jack) Travers (fl.1948-1981)

Historical Context: Manufacture by John Lloyd - Where: Department of Natural Philosophy, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, Scotland

Historical Context: Manufacture by John Lloyd in the Department of Natural Philosophy - When: 1949-1952

Historical Context: Use in medical research - Who: John Mark Anthony Lenihan (1918-1993) British clinical physicist and J. Stevens

Historical Context: Use in medical research by Lenihan and Stephens - When: 1950-1952

Historical Context: Use in medical research by Lenihan and Stephens, Western Infirmary, Glasgow University - Where: Glasgow, Scotland

Historical Context: Use of a self quenching polyatomic gas in counting - Who: A. Z. Tosta

Historical Context: Use of a self quenching polyatomic gas in counting tubes by Tost - When: 1935 - Where: Germany