Radiation therapy

Seeking an alternative to single high doses of radiation, Parisian radiation biologist Claude Regaud subjected ram testicles to different doses at varying internals and found that, whereas single high doses did not eliminate sperm production, a smaller dose delivered over more extended periods resulted in sterilization. Regaud then began to treat patients with small daily doses of radiation, given over several weeks, and found improved therapeutic effect and reduced toxicity. “This concept of fractionated irradiation heralded the birth of clinical radiation therapy.” As a result, “therapists of the early 1930s began to report excellent results with cancer of the throat, tongue, and breast” (C. Jacobs, 48).