Walter Dunham Claus

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

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)
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