FE-59 AND CR-51 STUDIES OF THE EFFECT OF PARTIAL-BODY X-IRRADIATION ON ERYTHROPOIESIS IN BEAGLES.

In beagle dogs that received partial-body exposures of 1000 kVp X-rays, alterations in erythropoietic activity were studied using Fe-59 as a tracer. Cr-51 was used to estimate erythrocyte life span and the rate of loss of red cells from the circulation following exposure. Three groups of dogs were exposed to 1700 R to the upper-body, one group to 400 R to the upper-body, one group to 400 R to the lower-body, and a sham-irradiated group was used as a control. In an attempt to determine the degree of erythropoietic activity in the irradiated bone marrow during the period of rapid recovery after an upper-body exposure to 1700 R, two groups received an additional exposure of 400 R to either the upper or lower-body 14 days after initial 1700 R exposure. Ferrokinetic data among the various groups were analyzed and compared.