§ Mr. Roy Masonasked the Minister of Health, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he is aware of the Russian claim to have developed an effective antidote to cope with the effects of radioactive rays on the body; and to what extent research in this field has proved successful in this country.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithMy noble Friend is not aware of any Russian claims to have developed an effective antidote to radioactive rays, but he is informed that, in a paper presented by a Russian delegate at the recent Geneva Conference on 31W the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, reference was made to some substances which were already known to protect animals in special circumstances. In this country the Medical Research Council has for some ten years actively supported work on substances which might give more general protection against the effect of ionising radiations: some progress has been made experimentally, but the results are not yet applicable to the treatment of human beings.