The Tragic Tale of Eben Byers, The Man That Drank Radium Until His Jaw Disintegrated
Updated: Apr 15
Throughout history few stories are as harrowing and cautionary as that of Eben Byers, a wealthy industrialist whose life was forever altered by the allure of a seemingly miraculous cure: radium.
Eben Byers was born into privilege on September 12, 1880, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the scion of a prominent industrialist family. His father, Charles E. Byers, was a titan of the steel industry, and young Eben inherited both his father's wealth and his ambition. However, fate had a cruel twist in store for the Byers family.
Being raised in an environment of such substantial wealth ensured that the young Byers enjoyed the privilege of having access to the finest resources money could afford, including elite institutions like the renowned St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and the institution known at that time as Yale College.
Eben Byers distinguished himself primarily as an accomplished athlete. His crowning achievement came in 1906 when he clinched victory in the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, as documented by the Golf Compendium.
Following his sporting triumphs, Byers assumed leadership of the family enterprise, the A. M. Byers Company, renowned for its wrought iron manufacturing. Tragically, a catastrophic accident befell him shortly thereafter, marking the beginning of a fateful journey that would significantly influence the course of medical history.
In the early 20th century, radium was hailed as a wonder drug, with proponents claiming it could cure everything from arthritis to impotence. Among its most enthusiastic advocates was Dr. William J.A. Bailey, a Harvard dropout posing as a doctor, concocted Radithor, a perilous blend of radium in water, amassing quick wealth. Despite brushes with the law and failed ventures, he peddled his toxic potion, with approximately 400,000 bottles sold, including 1,400 to Eben Byers, who fell victim to its lethal effects. The FDA intervened too late, underscoring the tragic consequences of Bailey's deceit.
Despite lacking proper medical training, Bailey promoted radium as a panacea and attracted wealthy clients like Eben Byers.
In 1927, Byers suffered a fall from a train carriage during a hunting trip, resulting in severe injuries to his arm and head. Desperate for relief from his pain, he turned to Dr. Bailey, who prescribed him a daily dose of radium-laced water, marketed as "Radithor."
Unbeknownst to Byers, radium is an incredibly toxic substance. Its radioactive properties can wreak havoc on the body, destroying healthy tissue and causing irreparable damage to organs. Despite this, Byers dutifully followed Dr. Bailey's orders, believing the radium elixir would alleviate his suffering.
Tragically, the opposite occurred.
Over time, Byers began to experience alarming symptoms, including severe headaches, weight loss, and debilitating pain. By 1930, the true extent of his condition became horrifyingly apparent when his jaw began to disintegrate, a condition known as radium necrosis.
In 1931, Eben Byers was due to give testimony to the Federal Trade Commission regarding his experiences with radium. Consequently, a lawyer was dispatched to his residence to take his statement. Shockingly, the lawyer discovered that Byers had lost most of his upper jaw, except for two front teeth, and a significant portion of his lower jaw. Furthermore, his remaining bone tissue was deteriorating, with holes forming in his skull, revealing the devastating effects of his radium exposure.
Eben Byers passed away on March 31, 1932, with the cause attributed to "radiation poisoning," a term used at the time. However, his demise was a result of cancers induced by radium exposure, not acute radiation syndrome. Radium emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. While alpha radiation typically poses minimal danger due to its low penetrating ability, ingestion of radium, as in the case of Radithor, led to its accumulation in the bones. Unshielded by the skin, the highly-ionizing alpha radiation caused severe localised cell damage, ultimately resulting in Byers' cancer and subsequent death. He was laid to rest in Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a lead-lined coffin.
Byers's death brought significant attention to the risks associated with radioactive "cures". In response, the Federal Trade Commission ordered Bailey's business to halt its misleading claims about Radithor's therapeutic benefits and its safety. Despite this, Bailey continued his ventures, establishing the "Radium Institute" and marketing various radioactive products, including a belt-clip, a paperweight, and a device claimed to render water radioactive. In 1965, MIT physicist Robley Evans estimated Byers' total radium intake at approximately 1000 μCi (37 MBq), with half from Ra-226 and the other half from the highly-radioactive mesothorium (Ra-228).