Abstract

When the SMA was founded in 1906, the discoveries of x-rays by Röntgen in 1895, and radioactivity by Becquerel in 1896, were virtually current events. That first era for radiation oncology was one of curiosity, experimentation, and empiricism. Early physicians merely applied exposure to radiation to “see what happened” and based their clinical practice on the observations. Although ignorant of the mechanism of action, doctors reported cases of the control or regression of cancers due to radiation exposure. Scarcely bridled enthusiasm held promise that these new agents would be the answer to the cancer problem. Mixed with the laudable results, however, were horrid tragedies. Lacking comprehension of dose phenomenon and fundamental radiation biology principles, doctors discovered radiation's delayed harmful effects in conjunction with the awareness of its usefulness. Perhaps most tragically, it was early physicians and scientists who suffered many injuries and death.