European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A Scalpel terms of  fab Kant said you want a charged particle  Trio simplest charged particle is the single Proton of Tho nucleus of a Hydrogen atom. Protons Are positively charged while electrons thai Ortii atoms arc negatively charged. Heavy charged particles Are the atomic nuclei t elements heavier than Hydrogen such As helium Neon and Carbon again electrons have been stripped away. Leaving the nuclei with a net positive charge. Fabricant said accelerated charged panicles move along a straight line interacting very Little with he tissue through which they pass. Bui when they reach the end of their Energy Range. They suddenly begin bumping into All surrounding atoms. This activity increases to a Crescendo As the Large cells absorb the beam s Energy. Doctors can tune the beam to reach different Largel distances by varying he Energy they Pul into in. Kyj Eudery s Cycle Iron which he said is Aboul the size of a basketball court accelerates the protons of Hydrogen atoms loan Energy level of 1 to million Electron volts. I Lavor protons he said because they Are relatively inexpensive o  Fabrykant Utah a much lamer research Cyclotron the Bevalac at Berkeley s Donner Laboratory a circular machine covering an area of about tree football Fields. Helium torn usually found As two nuclei Wilh two protons each Are accelerated loan Energy level of 920 million Electron volts. Particle beams with heavier ions at higher Energy Levels can be applied Aven More precisely. We can place a beam Wilheln a tenth of a  less than the Width of a Surg Eero s Scalpel Fabrikant said. The beam can also be used on a Large area in a series o1 treatments. Both centers use frames to hold a patient s head and fjord its exact position by computer so that of barged particle beams will be on target. Other neurosurgeons caution however that the procedure is still experimental. The Long term effects of such radiation Are not Well documented said Wesson of the University of California at san Francisco and there is potential for radiation overdoses to occur. Saves lives Unn Irvy of Bunim Mac a