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Review
. 2019 Jan-Mar;18(1):8-12.
doi: 10.4103/wjnm.WJNM_107_18.

A tribute to Dr. Saul Hertz: The discovery of the medical uses of radioiodine

Barbara Hertz  1
Affiliations
Review

A tribute to Dr. Saul Hertz: The discovery of the medical uses of radioiodine

Barbara Hertz. World J Nucl Med. 2019 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Dr. Saul Hertz was Director of The Massachusetts General Hospital's Thyroid Unit, when he heard about the development of artificial radioactivity. He conceived and brought from bench to bedside the successful use of radioiodine (RAI) to diagnose and treat thyroid diseases. Thus was born the science of theragnostics used today for neuroendorine tumors and prostate cancer. Dr. Hertz's work set the foundation of targeted precision medicine.

Keywords: Dr. Saul Hertz; nuclear medicine; radioiodine.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dr. Saul Hertz 1905–1950 (published with permission of the Dr. Saul Hertz archive)
Figure 2
Figure 2
The original workbook of Dr. Saul Hertz showing patients with unsuccessful treatment (2a) and successful treatment (2b) (published with permission of the Dr. Saul Hertz archive)
Figure 3
Figure 3
News of Dr. Saul Hertz's work reaches a wider audience (published with permission of the Dr. Saul Hertz archive)
Figure 4
Figure 4
A volunteer shows how the multiscaler works, Dr. Saul Hertz stands next to the machine (published with permission of the Dr. Saul Hertz archive)
Figure 5
Figure 5
The use of radioiodine in treating cancer makes the press (published with permission of the Dr. Saul Hertz archive)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Hertz S. A plan for analysis of the biologic factors involved in experimental carcinogenesis of the thyroid by means of radioactive isotopes. Bull New Engl Med Cent. 1946;8:220–4. - PubMed
    1. Thrall J. The Story of Saul Hertz, Radioiodine and the Origins of Nuclear Medicine. [Last accessed on 2018 Dec 01]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Qhm8CeMuc .
    1. Braverman L. 131 Iodine Therapy: A Brief History. [Last accessed on 2018 Dec 01]. Available from: http://www.am2016.aace.com/presentations/friday/F12/hertz_braverman.pdf .
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