Walter Dunham Claus (March 6, 1903 – May 12, 1995) was an American biophysicist who worked in radiation biology and medical physics.

Walter Dunham Claus
Born(1903-03-06)March 6, 1903
DiedMay 12, 1995(1995-05-12) (aged 92)
EducationWashington University in St. Louis (PhD)
OccupationBiophysicist
Parent(s)Ernest Claus
Laura Claus

Early life and education

edit

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in Golden, Jefferson County, Colorado.[citation needed] Claus's father Ernest Claus was from Germany and his mother Laura Claus was from Missouri. They resided at 310 N. Stein in St. Louis, Missouri.[citation needed] In 1931 received his Ph.D. in physics from Washington University in St. Louis, for a doctoral thesis titled Effect of Temperature on the Diffuse Scattering of X-rays from Rock Salt.[1] From 1931 through 1933, Claus continued to study X-ray effects as a National Research Council fellow. He then worked at the Mellon Institute and eventually joined the Atomic Energy Commission.[2][3][4]

Career

edit

Atomic Energy Commission

edit

In 1954, Claus oversaw the testing of samples from the Marshall Islands for radioactive fallout from the Castle Bravo explosion.[5][6] From 1949-1955 he held the position of Chief in the Division of Biology and Medicine, AEC.[citation needed] Then from 1955-1967 he served as Special Assistant to Division Director, AEC.[citation needed]

Health Physics Society

edit

Claus was a key member in the formation of the Health Physics Society and represented the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.[7][8][9] In 1955, he was one of the founding members and part of the initial board of directors.[10] He would also serve as the society's president during 1961 and 1962.[10]

Publications

edit
  • Jee, Webster S. S. (1976). The Health Effects of Plutonium and Radium. J. W. Press. OCLC 1087470580.
  • Jauncey, G. E.; Claus, W. D. (July 1928). "Interpretation of Atomic Structure Factor Curves in Crystal Reflection of X-Rays". Physical Review. 32 (1): 12–21. Bibcode:1928PhRv...32...12J. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.32.12.
  • Hollaender, Alexander; Claus, Walter D. (20 May 1936). "The bactericidal effect of ultraviolet radiation on Escherichia coli in liquid suspensions". Journal of General Physiology. 19 (5): 753–765. doi:10.1085/jgp.19.5.753. PMC 2141463. PMID 19872959.
  • Hollaender, Alexander; Claus, Walter Dunham (1937). An Experimental Study of the Problem of Mitogenetic Radiation. National research council of the National academy of sciences. OCLC 1378610917.
  • Claus, W. D. (June 1958). "What is health physics". Health Physics. 1 (1): 56–61. doi:10.1097/00004032-195801000-00009. PMID 13598290.
  • Claus, Walter D., ed. (1958). Radiation Biology and Medicine: Selected Reviews in the Life Sciences. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-598-46217-6. OCLC 1151062539.
  • Claus, W. D. (1962). "Symposium on education and training in health physics. Training programs in health physics". Hispalis Medica. 8: 93–95. doi:10.1097/00004032-196204000-00001. PMID 13879802.

References

edit
  1. ^ Hull, Callie and West, Clarence J. (1931). Doctorates Conferred in the Sciences by American Universities, 1930-1931. National Research Council. Washington, D.C.
  2. ^ Bugos, Glenn E. (1989-01-01). "Managing Cooperative Research and Borderland Science in the National Research Council, 1922-1942". Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences. 20 (1): 1–32. doi:10.2307/27757633. ISSN 0890-9997. JSTOR 27757633. PMID 11622205.
  3. ^ United States Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments. Final Report: Ancillary materials. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1995.
  4. ^ Hamblin, Jacob Darwin (2008-01-24). Poison in the Well: Radioactive Waste in the Oceans at the Dawn of the Nuclear Age. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-4423-6.
  5. ^ A Radiological Study of Rongelap Atoll, Marshall Islands, During 1954-1955. University of Washington Applied Fisheries Laboratory. 1955.
  6. ^ Jolly, J. Christopher. Thresholds of uncertainty: radiation and responsibility in the fallout controversy (Thesis). hdl:1957/30847. OCLC 57195914. ProQuest 305142032.
  7. ^ w. l, S. (15 July 1955). "News of Science". Science. 122 (15 July 1955): 112–117. Bibcode:1955Sci...122..112W. doi:10.1126/science.122.3159.112. PMID 17751437.
  8. ^ Reinig, William C. (July/August 1989). C.M. Patterson 1913-1989. HPS Newsletter, XVII(7/8): 19-20.
  9. ^ Claus, Walter D. (1958) "What is Health Physics?." Health physics 1.1: 56-61.
  10. ^ a b Kathren, R. L. (1978-08-01). "Health Physics Society: origins and development". OSTI 6379177. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)