Louis Harold Gray FRS (10 November 1905 – 9 July 1965) was an English physicist who worked mainly on the effects of radiation on biological systems. He was one of the earliest contributors of the field of radiobiology.[6] Amongst many other achievements, he defined a unit of radiation dosage (absorbed dose) which was later named after him as an SI unit, the gray.[7][8]
Louis Harold Gray | |
|---|---|
 LH Gray (left) and J Boag supervising construction of the Gray Laboratory at Mount Vernon Hospital in north London. | |
| Born | 10 November 1905 |
| Died | 9 July 1965 (aged 59) |
| Education | |
| Known for | Bragg–Gray cavity theory Gray (unit) |
| Spouse | Frieda Marjorie Picot |
| Parents |
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| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Institutions |
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| Thesis | (1930) |
| Doctoral advisor | James Chadwick[1] |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | |
Early life
editGray was born as an only child on 10 November 1905 to parents Harry and Amy Gray. His father worked at a post office.[9]
Career
edit- 1933 - Hospital physicist at Mount Vernon Hospital, London
- 1936 - Developed the Bragg–Gray equation, the basis for the cavity ionization method of measuring gamma-ray energy absorption by materials[10][11]
- 1937 - Built an early neutron generator at Mount Vernon Hospital[12]
- 1938 - Studied biological effects of neutrons using the generator
- 1940 - Developed concept of RBE (Relative Biological Effectiveness) of doses of neutrons
- 1952 - Initiated research into cells in hypoxic tumors and hyperbaric oxygen
- 1953 - Oliver Scott established the British Empire Cancer Campaign Research Unit in Radiobiology[13] at Mount Vernon Hospital with Hal Gray as director which in 1970 became the Cancer Research Campaign's Gray Laboratory and then (in 2001) the Gray Cancer Institute.
- 1953 - 1960 - Under Gray's direction, Jack W. Boag developed pulse radiolysis[14]
- 1962 - Ed Hart, of Argonne National Laboratory, and Jack Boag[15] discovered the hydrated electron using pulse radiolysis at the Gray Laboratory - This discovery initiated a new direction of research that is still very active today and is vital for understanding the effects of radiation on biological tissue, for instance in cancer treatment.
References
edit- ^ a b Loutit, J. F.; Scott, O. C. A. (1966). "Louis Harold Gray 1905-1965". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 12 (2): 195–217. Bibcode:1966PMB....11..329.. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1966.0009. S2CID 73328020.
- ^ Rogers, J. D. (2013). The neutron’s discovery - 80 years on. Physics Procedia, 43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2013.03.001
- ^ Alma Howard (1965) Louis Harold Gray, International Journal of Radiation Biology and Related Studies in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine, 9:5, 509-511, DOI: 10.1080/09553006514550571
- ^ International Plant Names Index. L.H.Gray.
- ^ "LH Gray Memorial Trust: About L.H. Gray".
- ^ Sekiya, Masaru; Yamasaki, Michio (2017). "Louis Harold Gray (November 10, 1905–July 9, 1965): a pioneer in radiobiology". Radiol Phys Technol. 10 (1): 2–7. doi:10.1007/s12194-016-0379-9. PMID 27714568. S2CID 207402619.
- ^ Louis Harold Gray F.R.S. - a chronology, CRUK/MRC Oxford Institute, 29 June 2000, archived from the original on 7 April 2014, retrieved 4 April 2014
- ^ Slipman, Curtis W.; Chou, Larry H.; Derby, Richard; Simeone, Frederick A.; Mayer, Tom G. (2008), Interventional spine: an algorithmic approach, Elsevier Health Sciences, p. 230–231, ISBN 978-0-7216-2872-1
- ^ Sekiya, Masaru; Yamasaki, Michio (1 March 2017). "Louis Harold Gray (November 10, 1905–July 9, 1965): a pioneer in radiobiology". Radiological Physics and Technology. pp. 2–7. doi:10.1007/s12194-016-0379-9. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ Gray, Louis Harold (1936). "An ionization method for the absolute measurement of gamma-ray energy". Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A. 156 (889): 578–596. Bibcode:1936RSPSA.156..578G. doi:10.1098/rspa.1936.0169.
- ^ Wynchank, S. (2017). Travel. In: Louis Harold Gray . Springer Biographies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43397-4_9
- ^ Alma, Howard (1965). "Louis Harold Gray". International Journal of Radiation Biology and Related Studies in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine. 9 (5): 509–511. doi:10.1080/09553006514550571. PMID 5319982.
- ^ Wynchank, S. (2017). Louis Harold Gray . Springer Biographies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43397-4_14
- ^ Hill, Kit (26 March 2007). "Obituary: Jack Boag". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ Boag, J. W.; Hart, E. J. (1963). "Absorption spectra in irradiated water and some solutions: Absorption spectra of 'hydrated'electron". Nature. 197 (4862): 45–47. Bibcode:1963Natur.197...45B. doi:10.1038/197045a0. S2CID 4277837.
External links
edit- Definition of RBE
- The LH Gray Memorial Trust founded in 1967
- Cancer Research UK and Medical Research Council Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology