Artifact No.: CSTM 1966.0043
Date: 1956

Source: Atomic Energy of Canada

In the 1950s, Canada’s nuclear industry combined with medical specialists to produce novel cancer therapies that spread throughout the world. At the University of Saskatchewan, Harold Johns invented a radiation therapy device using radioactive Cobalt 60. At the same time, Roy Errington and his team at Atomic Energy Canada Ltd developed a Cobalt 60 unit which led to the commercial Theratron line of products. The "Junior" sold in countries around the world. Maclean’s Magazine ironically referred to this form of therapy as the “Cobalt Bomb.”

Feature of note: This model displays a strong green colour, characteristic of hospital culture in the 1950s and 1960s. To explore why green was so popular in medicine at this time, visit Artifact Spotlight: The Colour of Medicine at the Museum.