The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2017

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Part 3, Chapters 48-52Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3: “Justice”

Chapters 48 and 49 Summary

The women meet the “flamboyant” and “larger-than-life” (398) Leonard Grossman in his luxurious Chicago office. His main concern is for the poor, and he was not concerned about making money from representing the women.

During the well-attended hearing, Grossman requests an extension to familiarize himself with the case, and learns about company’s defense. They will argue that the paint is not a poison, which was the opposite from what they had argued in previous cases when poisons were not covered under the law.

Work begins feverishly on the case. The women try to get copies of their medical records, but hospitals refuse to release them. In December, Grossman served notice to Radium Dial to release the results of their medical tests.

Catherine becomes fully confined to her bed, and is wasting away. She is to be the lead litigant—only because she is believed to be the next one to die.

Chapters 50-52 Summary

On February 10, 1938, Tom Donohue carries his wife to the hearing. Although only Radium Dial lawyer Arthur Magid is there, the Radium Dial executives do not attend. The press is present, and later writes of the women’s weakness and poor conditions.

Catherine Donohue testifies, describing the practice of lip-pointing, the full-page advert that had run in the paper after the New Jersey suits had been settled, and Reed’s refusal to show the women the results of their tests. Documents are subpoenaed, which include letters between then-President Kelly and the Industrial Commission, revealing that Radium Dial had been unable to obtain insurance. The Commission “[gives] notice to Radium Dial that it had not complied with the Workmen’s Compensation Act, which required insurance” (416). Radium Dial then “posted securities and offer guarantees with the Industrial Commission that it was carrying its own risk” (416). This leaves only a small pot of money from which the women can make claims.

Catherine continues to describe her suffering, showing pieces of her jawbone. Catherine’s doctor, Walter Dalitsch, takes the stand next. He says that her condition is poisoning caused by radioactive substances, and that it is irreversible and fatal. Hearing this, Catherine becomes inconsolable. The judge calls a recess as Catherine is accompanied home to bed.

When the hearing resumes, more doctors testify to confirm what Dalitsch said. The company lawyer focuses on what he considers the only issue that matters—whether radium is a poison. With Catherine unable to leave her bed, it is decided that the hearing would continue the following day, bedside.

That morning, Catherine demonstrates the lip-pointing technique, and responds to Grossman’s questions. She reveals that the girls were never informed that lip-pointing had been “condemned” by the US government, nor had Radium Dial made any indication that radium was dangerous. The other women present testify on Catherine’s behalf. When Radium Dial presents its defense, Arthur Magid doesn’t present evidence nor does he call any witnesses to testify, resting solely on the argument that radium is not a poison.

Part 3, Chapters 48-52 Analysis

Chapter 48 introduces Leonard Grossman, a heroic, bombastic figure who arrives just in time to take up the dial-painters’ court case. The following chapter turns back to Catherine’s loneliness and frailty during her decline. This focuses the narrative on the women’s lived experiences and suffering, highlighting that the consequences of the radium companies’ criminal negligence were immense suffering not abstract harm.

These chapters comprise the climax of the book—the final court case that finally defeats Radium Dial. As she has done for past court cases, Moore uses courtroom notes and firsthand accounts to craft the narrative and build suspense.

In comparison to Catherine’s suffering, especially when she is finally told on the courtroom floor that her illness will be fatal, the company’s stoic attitude towards the trial is damning. The company lawyers stay focused on whether radium is a poison, showing no remorse or empathy towards the women’s suffering.