The radium pick-me-up Radithor worked so well that those who could afford to, drank it regularly. Eben Byers was an American iron tycoon, champion golfer and member of the East Coast social elite.

Eben Byers began drinking radium-infused water that his doctor prescribed for an arm injury in 1927 — but within three years, his bones were disintegrating. It may be only an inch long, but the bullet ...