IV. Consideration of the Theory of Bone Marrow Grafting as Treatment of Radiation Damage

Abstract

Any dose of a single whole-body radiation which allows survival of the organism with marrow grafting, would also allow recovery of the remaining marrow elements, without need for marrow grafting, if careful substitution therapy is used. There appears to be no prima facie case for marrow grafting either following irradiation or following treatment with tumor chemotherapeutic agents. Careful sterile nursing, antibiotic treatment and frequent platelet transfusions are likely to prevent fatal accidents following damage to the marrow, and thus allow for spontaneous regeneration. This time, furthermore, may be shortened by early stimulation of the marrow elements (anoxia, white cell depletion). It may sound incongruous to advocate a series of massive venesections immediately following irradiation, but the theoretical possibility that it may stimulate regeneration of all marrow elements does exist. In this paper only the effects of a single dose of radiation delivered at a high dose-rate (> 1 rad/minute) are discussed.