Re: Shoe store fluoro units??

["Ron L. Kathren" <rkathren@beta.tricity.wsu.edu>]

John --

Despite my youth, I cut my health physics teeth on shoe fitting 
fluoroscopes in Los Angeles.  We could not legally ban them outright 
because of a quirk inb the law that had to do with practicioners of the 
healing arts -- eg a shoe store could have hired a practicioner and thus 
legally used these devices.  However, the industry itself wanted to get 
rid of them.  It's a long story, and if you are interested, please call 
me at 509-375-5643.

But to continue briefly with respect to your question, I believe the PHS 
did some good studies of the output and doses associated with these 
machines, possibly under the direction of Henry Rechen.  Dade Moeller or 
John Villforth may be able to better recall.  Also, Marv Rosenstein may 
be of some help.  If you wish to do such studies, we have on display in 
our library a potentially operable museum quality unit.

Ron 

On Thu, 27 Oct 1994, John Moulder wrote:

> Until some time in the 1950's many shoe stores in the US has fluoroscopy 
> units that allowed a customer to check the fit of their shoes.
> 
> Someone must have done dosimetry on these units, but I cannot find any 
> references.  
> 
> I'd also be interested in when they were banned, and by whom
> 
> John Moulder (jmoulder@its.mcw.edu)
> Radiation Biology Group
> Medical College of Wisconsin
> 
> 
>