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Re: First Radiation Victim
In October of last year there was a Radsafe discussion thread on who was the first person to die from radiation. Michael J. Vala posted the following information on October 25 (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/0210/msg00405.html):
>According to The CRC Handbook of Management of Radiation
>Protection Programs (1986), the Radiation Litigation Chapter
>edited by Vicent Collins cites the death of James Punzo in 1897.
>
>Apparently Punzo was victim of a gunshot to the head. Three
>weeks after the injury, when Mr. Punzo was healed and walking
>around the hospital, a 35 minute xray with a crooks tube attached
>to a Holtz Static Generator was taken under anesthesia to try to
>find the bullet. The bullet was not found. Mr. Punzo remained
>semi-comatose until he died 12 days later.
I happened to run across what might be considered "the rest of the story". From The Wellsboro (PA) Gazette, December 30, 1897 (http://www.rootsweb.com/~patioga/newspapr/tcobt118.htm):
"George A. C. Orme, the old man who shot and killed James Punzo, an Italian, last summer was acquitted last Thursday by a Chemung county [New York] jury at Elmira. Orme's pleas was self defense. He found the Italian alone with his wife. He began remonstrating with the woman, when both attacked him. Drawing a revolver he shot both his wife and Punzo. The former recovered and testified against Orme at the trial."
The irony is left as an exercise for the reader.
Rick
Richard G. Strickert, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
Signature Science LLC
8329 North Mopac Blvd.
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 533-2009 (Phone)
(512) 533-9563 (Fax)
rstrickert@signaturescience.com
http://www.signaturescience.com
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