Joseph G. Hamilton (* 1908; "† 1957) were a physicist and physician at the physical faculty of the university of California, which the core physicist Ernest Lawrence led. It was married with the painter Leah Hamilton.

Its special field were medical uses of radioactive nuclides. Together with the medicine physicist John Lawrence (Ernests brother) it operated the radiation laboratory of the university in Berkeley (later renamed in Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) starting from 1942, above all the then most efficient cyclotron of the world.

Together with John Lawrence and the radiologist Robert Stone Hamilton healthy test subjects and cancer patient treated with artificial nuclides from the cyclotron. The use of radioactive phosphorus, strontium and iodine, devised by him, is today common until (see radiotherapy and radio iodine therapy).

Starting from 1944 it examined the effect and distribution of plutonium in the organism on behalf the Manhattan project and produced plutonium for the secret laboratory of Los Alamos.

1945-46 caused Hamilton the injections of plutonium with a row of seriously ill person, also children, in its laboratory and in partner hospitals of smelling ester and Chicago. Over negative consequences for the test subjects nothing is well-known. These with healing intention and without agreement of the patients of accomplished experiments are not nevertheless generally classified as unethisch. The test series let the 1946 created Atomic Energy Comission break off. 1950 wrote, the people attempts Hamilton would have the "“smell of beech forest"”.

Hamilton examined about at the same time also on behalf the government whether radionuclides are suitable as weapon of mass destruction. The US Department of Defense possessed an appropriate research program in Dugway/Utah, which 1953 were adjusted for the disappointment of Hamilton. 1949-53 were Hamilton in this project responsibly for test security.

1957 died Hamilton at leukaemia. Its colleagues agree in the fact that it tightened itself this illness by caution lacking in handling the radionuclides.

Literature

• Moss W, Eckhardt R: The human plutonium Injection of experiment, Los Alamos Science 23 (1995), 177-233
• Welsome E: The plutonium files. Dials press, New York 1999.

Related links

• Department OF Energy Openness: Human radiation of experiment

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