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The Gable Ionic Charger (ca. 1965) |
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| The ionic charger was produced by the Ionic Research
Foundation of Winter Park, Florida, which advertised itself as a center for
Balnealogy,
Horticulture and Animal Husbandry, Fluorescence, and Atomic Engineering. The charger contained approximately 0.3 mCi of Ra-226 inside a cylindrical (ca. 5" long, 2 1/2" diameter) lead shield. The gamma exposure rates were sufficiently high that I had to remove and dispose of the source (removing such a source is not something that should ever be attempted without the proper equipment and knowledge). A large (ca. 2" diameter) squeeze bulb was connected with tygon tubing to one end of the source and a small bulb with holes in it was connected to the other end of the source. In use, the small bulb was placed into a glass of water and the large bulb was squeezed "a score or more of times." You could then "watch the bubbles of radon gas rise in the glass." This water was not only for drinking but also for "plants you are watering, seedlings you are raising, or animals." The standard price was U.S. $575, but educational institutions could receive a 40% discount. According to the manufacturer, Luther Gable, the device was safe because it was radon gas that was ingested, "not the metallic element" (i.e., radium). The manufacturer also noted that "the current generation of professional men has been brainwashed by bureaucratic screaming about fall-out and the truth of the famous spas has been lost sight of." The "truth" was certainly lost on the general counsel for the Food and Drug Division who wrote that the Ionic Research Foundation's statements "are false and misleading" and that "immediate seizure of the article or device and accompanying labeling is requested." The following image shows the first part of a letter that Luther Gable sent to purchasers of the Ionic Charger. |
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Luther Gable |
| The following image shows a postcard from 1937 advertising "The Romance of Radium," a book written by Luther Gable, the manufacturer of the Ionic Charger. The side of the card that is shown has a radioluminescent spot (partially torn) in the upper right hand corner. The other side of the card indicates that Luther Gable was in Chicago, 216 W. Jackson Blvd., to be precise. | |
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| According to one press account from
1932, Luther Gable was "the lone survivor of a group of six chemical
engineers who refined the first radium in America." Describing
one presentation concerning the "astounding story of
radium," Gable "held his listeners spellbound for close to
two hours and when he had finished a large portion of the 130 or more
present detained him for a half hour more as they crowded around him to
"drink in" more of his knowledge."
References: Daily Northwestern. "Sportsman did not die due to use of radium says Gable." April 2, 1932. |
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