The records of the Subcommittee on Human Use of Radioisotopes document the university's policies and procedures governing use of radioisotopes in treatment and research. The files include correspondence, memos, reports, application forms and meeting minutes. The records are divided into six series: Chronological Files, Topical Files, Applications (by Researcher), Applications (by Radioisotope), Applications (Chronological) and Officers' Files.
Prior to I948. the use of radiation at the University of Michigan was focused an the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of X-ray machines and radium sources, with limited research being done in physics and chemistry using radioisotopes of relatively short lifetimes. A wider variety of radioisotopes became available from the Oak Ridge reactor after 1947; that same year, the Atomic Energy Commission of the United States released certain radioisotopes for institutional use in humans. In the Years following the A.E.C.'s decision, work involving the use of iodine isotopes on thyroid patients began at the University of Michigan. A new era of radiation research had begun.
On October 13, 1950, President Alexander Ruthven established the Radiation Policy Committee (R.P.C.) to discuss and make recommendations concerning all work with radiation and radioactive materials on the University of Michigan campus. At the same time, a Radiation Safety officer was appointed and the Radiation Control Service established to oversee such wo0: and to report to the Radiation Policy Committee. On June 4, 1952, the chairman of the R.P.C. appointed a Subcommittee on HL(man Use D~ Radioisotopes, to be responsible for approving or rejecting all applications for the use of radioisotopes in humans.
The Subcommittee initially met formally once a year. In between these annual meetings, applications were circulated among the members. Approval or rejection was indicated by telephone or memoranda. The Subcommittee began to meet much more frequently as the issues involved in research with radioactive materials became more complex, and as the bulk and number of applications increased. The Subcommittee chairmen were Isadore Lampe (1952-1962), Edward Carr (1962-1972), Ronald Bishop (1972-1985), and the Present chair, Brahm Shapiro (1995-). Since its inception in 1952, the Subcommittee has operated under guidelines established by the A.E.C. (now the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) and, since 1980-1981, by the Federal Drug Administration. In 1976, a Radioactive Drug Research Committee was established at the University of Michigan, to satisfy federal guidelines. To this point in time, its membership has coincided with the membership of the Subcommittee, and so distinctions between the two committees' activities are often hard to make. In addition, members of the Subcommittee are often also members of the parent Radiation Policy Commission.
