Med Students Tested In Radiation Research

Harvard Medical School students in the 1950s were paid $50 in exchange for being injected with radioactive chromium as part of a study examining the life span of red blood cells, The Boston Globe reported this week.

The paper quoted Columbia University Medical School psychiatrist James Ryan, a student at the Medical School in 1954, who said he and a friend volunteered for the test because they thought it was an easy way to make money.

"I thought they knew what they were doing," Ryan told the Globe. Ryan said he recently had second thoughts about the tests after his friend died of cancer of the esophagus 10 years ago.

Ryan was one of at least 23 healthy men who received the injections. The Globe said Ryan probably received no more than 50 millirems of radiation exposure, which is the equivalent of about five chest X-rays.

Many Harvard officials involved in the University's ongoing investigation into its involvement in radiation experiments in the 1940s and 1950s could not be reached for comment yesterday.

University spokesperson Joe Wrinn, who has fielded questions about Harvard's involvement for the past three weeks, said he knew noth- ing about the experiments on medical studentsother than what he read in the Globe report.

In the past three weeks, Harvard has compiled apanel of legal, medical and ethics experts todetermine the extent of Harvard's involvement inradiation experiments in the 1940s and 1950s.

Wrinn said members of Harvard's new task forceare eager to learn more about any tests involvingHarvard in any way. He said this latest reportwill be part of the Harvard investigation "if wecan find any new information."

"If Mr. Ryan has more information we would loveto hear from him. We would definitely pass it onto the task force. Every piece of information thatcan be gathered would be helpful to us and thetask force," Wrinn said.

Ryan, Dean of the Medical School Daniel C.Tosteson '44, University Attorney Anne Taylor andActing Vice President for Government, Communityand Public Affairs Jane Corlette could not bereached for comment yesterday

In the past three weeks, Harvard has compiled apanel of legal, medical and ethics experts todetermine the extent of Harvard's involvement inradiation experiments in the 1940s and 1950s.

Wrinn said members of Harvard's new task forceare eager to learn more about any tests involvingHarvard in any way. He said this latest reportwill be part of the Harvard investigation "if wecan find any new information."

"If Mr. Ryan has more information we would loveto hear from him. We would definitely pass it onto the task force. Every piece of information thatcan be gathered would be helpful to us and thetask force," Wrinn said.

Ryan, Dean of the Medical School Daniel C.Tosteson '44, University Attorney Anne Taylor andActing Vice President for Government, Communityand Public Affairs Jane Corlette could not bereached for comment yesterday