Clinical Radiology (1986) 37, 209-210 0009-9260/86/656209502.00 © 1986 Royal College of Radiologists

Obituary CONSTANCE A. P. W O O D , MA, MRCP, FRCR

Dr Constance Wood ( 'Connie ') , who was one of the pioneers in radium beam research and the former Director of the Medical Research Council's Radiotherapeutic Research Unit at Hammersmith Hospital, died on 11 October 1985 at the age of 88. She had contributed to many important advances in radiotherapy over almost 30 years until she retired in 1962.

Dr Wood was born in 1897 in Wolverhampton. She was educated at Wolverhampton High School for Girls where she was head girl and captain of hockey. Although her first wish was to study languages she became attracted to a career in medicine after nursing her brother who was severely wounded in the war and had to give up his medical studies. From 1917-1920 she was a student at Newnham College, Cambridge and then trained at King's College Hospital where she was one of the first three women medical students. She qualified MRCS, LRCP in 1924 and obtained the MA from Cambridge in 1925. After qualifying she held a junior post in the Depar tment of Radiology at King's and took the D M R E (Cambridge). Between 1927 and 1933 she worked at the Royal Cancer Hospital as a clinical assistant where she had a special interest in the radium treatment of malignant disease. At that time junior posts were poorly paid but she was able to obtain a Prophit Scholarship to augment her small salary. To gain further experience she visited

clinics in Paris, Stockholm and the USA during holidays at her own expense.

In the early 1930s poor results and severe complica- tions had been reported in the radium treatment of cancer and some eminent authorities had even stated that its use should be abandoned. Because of the disquiet a Joint Research Board composed of the Medical Research Council (MRC) and other in- terested bodies set up an organisation known as the Radium Beam Research staffed by a small team of research workers. Dr Wood, who was seconded from her post at the Cancer Hospital to work at the Radium Institute in Riding House Street, was appointed senior radium therapist in the team. Their task was to find out if t reatment from a large external source of radium could be given without risk to the patient or the treating personnel. After studying the methods being used in clinics abroad they developed, with the firm of Bryant Symons, a beam unit based on a Swedish model. This became standard British equipment and was installed in a number of hospitals. It incorporated certain original features such as the pneumatic transfer of the radium source to the storage safe when it was not in use and also a directional caliper for accurate beam localisation. A series of 366 patients suffering from cancers of the mouth, pharynx and larynx were treated and carefully observed in the post-treatment period; by 1938 the team were able to conclude that promising results could be obtained without undue risk. After this encouraging report the MRC asked them to undertake two further projects: to investigate the effect of the wavelength of the radiation on the results, and to construct a 2 MeV electrostatic gener- ator which at that time seemed likely to become the supervoltage machine of the future. However , because of the bombing in central London these projects were shelved until 1942 when the team was re-constituted as the MRC's Radiotherapeutic Research Unit and trans- ferred to Hammersmith Hospital with Dr Wood appointed as Director. She was also asked to start a National Health Service radiotherapy department at Hammersmith to be linked to the Research Unit. In 1943 she obtained the MRCP and was appointed to a senior lectureship in the Postgraduate Medical School.

During the next 20 years a large amount of impor- tant research was undertaken in the Unit. The results of the wavelength trial which compared short wavelength gamma rays with longer wavelength 200 kV X-rays were published in 1950 by Dr Wood, Dr Boag and others in an MRC special report . It concluded that the wavelength of the radiation had no significant effect on the clinical results - a factor in treatment which previously had been strongly de- bated. About the end of World War II there was a great interest in the effect of radiations on cells and tissues and it was decided that the scope of the Unit 's work should be expanded to embrace radiobiology which was then a new and emerging science. Thus, Dr

210 CLINICAL R A D I O L O G Y

L. H. Gray, already established as an eminent scientist and biologist, was appointed Deputy Director in 1946 and Hammersmith became a leading centre for re- search, studying problems such as the effect of oxygen on the tissue response to radiation, the fractionation of the dose, the cell cycle with DNA synthesis and the diagnostic uses of radioactive isotopes.

Dr Wood was also closely involved in the develop- ment of the first linear accelerator. Following the discovery of the magnetron, a prototype 4 MeV travelling wave accelerator had been built by Fry at the Telecommunications Research Establishment at Malvern in 1948. As it seemed to have a great future in radiotherapy she arranged with MRC support for physicists from Hammersmith to collaborate with the Malvern group and with Metropolitan Vickers to design a machine suitable for clinical use. This machine which was given a long period of testing was eventually installed in Hammersmith Hospital in 1952 and was the first of this type of beam accelerator in the world. It produced 8 MeV X-rays and electrons and it also incorporated a new system for beam alignment designed by Howard-Flanders and Newbery which later became known as isocentric mounting and which is now standard practice in supervoltage equip- ment design. The linear accelerator development was an outstanding achievement of which she was justifi- ably extremely proud.

The Hammersmith cyclotron was another major development for which Dr Gray and she were re- sponsible. They foresaw that beams of atomic particles could have important biological and clinical applica- tions, but to install a cyclotron in a hospital was a formidable undertaking. As there was no commercial experience of cyclotron construction available it had to be built on the site by a team of engineers and physicists assembled specially for the work. After it was completed and inaugurated by Her Majesty The Queen in 1955 Dr Wood was keen to embark on a neutron therapy trial, but this was delayed because of Stone's unfavourable experience in the USA. How- ever, the discovery of the oxygen effect by Gray and his colleagues and the experimental work on pigs by Fowler and Morgan gave a fresh impetus to the project. With these authors she contributed to a

symposium at the British Institute of Radiology on 'Pre-therapeutic Experiments with the Neutron beam'.

In 1952-53 Dr Wood was President of the Section of Radiology of the Royal Society of Medicine. In her presidential address she gave a fascinating account of the current advances in radiotherapy and an appraisal of future developments, many of which have now become routine procedures. She was also a member of the Council of the Faculty of Radiologists and in 1956-57 the Therapy Vice-President. The combined burden of administering the hospital department and the research unit made it necessary for her to gradual- ly relinquish day-to-day clinical work. This she regret- ted although she continued to attend regularly at the joint teaching sessions with Professor Aird and mem- bers of the Department of Surgery. Some years after she retired she edited with Dr Deeley 'Modern Trends in Radiotherapy'.

Dr Wood lived at a time when radiotherapy was expanding rapidly. Great changes in the status of the specialty were achieved in this country by a small group of pioneers of whom she was one of the most prominent and to whom modern radiotherapy and oncology owe much. Many of the causes she cham- pioned were successful after strenous and persistent effort often against strong resistance from colleagues and officialdom. In her work as director of research she was associated with a group of outstanding scien- tists and it is perhaps understandable that differences of opinion were expressed concerning the future scientific policy of the Unit. There were occasions when difficult decisions had to be made. In these she always displayed courage in backing her convictions, to which she firmly adhered usually to the long-term advantage of all parties concerned.

In her private life Dr Wood lived quietly in Kens- ington but her many research interests attracted to Hammersmith large numbers of overseas visitors whom she was delighted to entertain. During such an active life she also enjoyed visiting her family and friends in Shropshire where she frequently returned for holidays and relaxation.

To her sister, Norah, and other members of her family we extend our sympathy.

Robert Morrison