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The International Congress of Radiology (ICR) is a meeting of radiologists for the exchange of ideas and the harmonisation of international standards and practice, first held in 1925 in London and held at regular intervals since then. Since 1994 it has become a biennial event. Until 1953 each congress was organised by radiological society of the host country, but in that year, a formal organisation, the International Society for Radiology was set up to provide continuity between the congresses.
At the second congress, held in 1928 in Stockholm, three international commissions were set up - the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP), the International Commission for Radiological Units (ICRU) and the International Commission for Radiological Education (ICRE). The latter two have become fully functional organisations in their own right while the latter has remained a sub-committee of the ICR.
Within years of Röntgen discovering X-Rays in 1896, they were being used for imaging fractured bones. Various societies sprung up in different countries where ideas were exchanged between like-minded people and national standards for the measurement of X-Ray intensity developed. These societies also tried to address the problems associated with the dangers of X-Rays, particularly cancer.
By the end of the First World War a number of proposals on how to measure the intensity of X-Rays had been made, but there was little agreement between the various parties concerned.[1] In 1925 the British Institute of Radiology, under the leadership of Thurstan Holland[2][3] invited delegates from a number of countries to attend the First International Congress on Radiation in London. This congress set up a framework for future meetings - future congresses would meet every three years in a different country, would be organised by the host country. The host country would nominate the chairman of the congress. It was also established that three commissions should be set up which would meet at the congresses:
- The International Commission of Radiation Units & Measures (ICRU)
- The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP)
- The International Commission on Radiological Education (ICRE)
Until the outbreak of the Second World War, congresses were held every three years. The 1940 congress was due to meet in Berlin in 1940, but was suspended due to the war. Apart from some copies of records kept by the 1973 Congress secretary-general, Benjamin Orndoff, the records of the congress, which had been handed to the German organisers in preparation for the next congress in Germany, were lost during the Second World War.[4]
The second congress was held in Stockholm under the chairmanship of Manne Siegbahn where the three commissions proposed in London met for the first time. Subsequent meetings were held in Paris (1931), Zurich (1934) and Chicago (1937).
After the war, the British Institute of Radiology organised the sixth Congress which was held in London, exactly 25 years after the first congress and in the same hall as the first congress. A total of 3364 people from 54 countries including 1,742 radiologists registered for the congress.[5] The incumbent chairman of the ICR, Arthur C. Christie, who had been nominated thirteen years previously was unable to attend the London conference, so Orndoff, the secretary-general of that congress deputised handing the presidency to Ralston Paterson. The congress also saw a resumption of the work of the three international commissions.
At the seventh congress, held in Copenhagen in 1953, the organisational details of the conference were overhauled and an executive committee under the chairmanship of Lauriston S Taylor was set up to oversee the organisation of future congresses and to provide continuity between congresses.
Before the Second world war, the location of the congresses was dictated largely by the places of residence of the delegates who had to travel by rail or sea - a delegate from the western seaboard of the United States would have to commit a month to attend a week-long ICR congress in Europe. The advent of air travel removed this restriction and subsequent congresses have since been held in many parts of the world. The following congresses have been held to date (or are scheduled):[4][6]
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The International Society of Radiology was set up in 1953 to oversee the organisation of the International Congresses of Radiology and to provide continuity between congresses.
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The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) is a standardization body set up in 1925 by the International Congress of Radiology, originally as the X-Ray Unit Committee until 1950. Its objective "is to develop concepts, definitions and recommendations for the use of quantities and their units for ionizing radiation and its interaction with matter, in particular with respect to the biological effects induced by radiation".[7] During the first two decades of its existence, its formal meetings were held during the International Congress of Radiology, but from 1950 onwards, when its mandate was extended, it has met annually.
Until 1953, the president of the ICRU was a national of the country that was hosting the ICR, but in that year it was decided to elect a permanent commission - the first permanent chairman being Laurent Taylor who had been a member of the commission since 1928 and secretary since 1934. Taylor served until 1969 and on his retirement was accorded the position of honorary chairman which we held until his death in 2004, aged 102.[8]
The commission has a maximum fifteen members who serve for four years and who, since 1950, have been nominated by the incumbent commissioners. Members are selected for their scientific ability and are widely regarded as the foremost panel of experts in radiation medicine and in the other fields of ICRU endeavour. The commission is funded by the sale of reports, by grants from the European Commission, the US National Cancer Institute and the International Atomic Energy Agency and indirectly by organisations and companies who provide meeting venues. Commissioners, many of whom have full time university or research centre appointments, have their expenses reimbursed, but otherwise they receive no remuneration from the ICRU.
In the late 1950's the ICRU was invited by the CGPM to join other scientific bodies to work with the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) in the development of a system of units that could be used consistently over many disciplines. This body, initially known as the "Commission for the System of Units" (renamed in 1964 as the "Consultative Committee for Units") was responsible overseeing the development of the International System of Units (SI).[9]
In the late 1950's the ICRU started publishing reports on an irregular basis - on average two to three a year. In 2001 the publication cycle was regularised and reports are now published bi-annually under the banner "Journal of the ICRU".[10][11]
The commission has been responsible for defining and introducing the following units of measure on behalf of the industry. The number of different units for various quantities is indicative of changes of thinking in world metrology, especially the movement from cgs to SI units.[12]
| Quantity | Name | Symbol | Unit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure (X) | röntgen | R | esu / 0.001293 g of air | 1928 |
| Absorbed dose (D) | erg•g-1 | 1950 | ||
| rad | rad | 100 erg•g-1 | 1953 | |
| gray | Gy | J•kg-1 | 1974 | |
| Activity (A) | curie | c | 3.7 × 1010 s-1 | 1953 |
| bequerrel | Bq | s-1 | 1974 | |
| Dose equivalent (H) | röntgen equivalent man | rem | 100 erg•g-1 | 1971 |
| sievert | Sv | J•kg-1 | 1977 | |
| Fluence (Φ) | (reciprocal area) | cm-2 or m-2 | 1962 |
The Commission's secretariat is in Stockholm and its legal status is that of British charity (Not-for-profit organisation).
The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is an advisory body providing recommendations and guidance on radiation protection; It was founded in 1928 at the second International Congress of Radiology (ICR) and was then called the International X-ray and Radium Protection Committee (IXRPC).[13]
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The International Commission for Radiological Education was the third of the three commissions established in 1928 at the second ICR. Its early records appear to have been lost during the Second World War. It under the auspices of the International Congress of Radiology and is funded by the International Society for Radiology. The commission's mandate is to coordinate the activities of radiologists in the field of education and to investigate educational standards and facilities in all countries in respect of radiological subjects.[14] .
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