Comment on the Radiation Measurement kit from the 60s

[jrcamero@facstaff.wisc.edu (John Cameron)]

Taking things out of their historical context may give the wrong
impresssion. I bought one of the Bendix dosimeter kits - it was a good buy
for $19.95! It must have been heavily subsidized by the tax-payers.In that
era the Berlin Wall was going up and the Berlin Airlift was used to feed
the people in West Berlin there was a lot of concern about a new war with
the USSR and possible use of nuclear weapons. The development of
intercontinental ballistic missles was a special source of concern, since 
"Atomic Bombs" could fall on US cities in an hour or two after war started.
 Prof. Eugene Wigner, a Nobel Prize winner was very concerned at the time
and encouraged people to construct fallout shelters.  I knew one physicist
working at NBS who kept his family van constantly equiped with survival
gear. He was convinced that the Soviet Embassy in Washington DC had a
nuclear weapon in it which would be detonated at the appropriate time. 
        The 600 R chamber would have been of some use since the
instructions make clear that up to 200 R no medical attention was
needed.(It did not give the impression that a few mR were of any concern as
we sometimes hear now.) My standard sick joke at the time was that when it
reached full scale, you should recharge it and give it to a friend as you
didn't need it anymore! I found occasional use for it in our radiation
laboratories at UW. The lower range dosimeter was more useful. Most
Americans probably did not know how to do the simple arithmatic involved.
Fortunately that era passed without serious loss of life.
        Most public buildings at the time were labeled for their
suitability as fallout shelters. School children were instructed on the
best place to hide, etc. Most of this concern was in the 60's rather than
the 50's, I believe.

        I just picked up an interesting piece of Americana at a Garage Sale.
>
>        It is a "Family Radiation Measurement Kit" made by Bendix corp. It
>        consists of a pen type dosimeter charger, and two dosimeters,
>        one with a range of 0-600 Roentgens, and the other, labled a
>        Ratemeter (you expose it for 1 minute,) with sacales of 0 to 20
>        R/min or 0-12 R/hr (for a t1n-minute exposure.)
John Cameron, 2571 Porter Rd., P.O. Box 405, Lone Rock, WI 53556-0405
Phones: 608/583-2160; FAX 608/583-2269 until Sept. 29, 1995.
 From October 3, 1995 until about April 15, 1996  Von & I will be at  2678
SW 14th Dr., Gainesville, FL 32608 - Phones: 914/371-9865; FAX
914/371-9866. My e-mail will be forwarded.