Over many years individuals have endeavoured to measure absorbed radiation dose distributions using gels. As long ago as 1950, the radiation-induced colour change in dyes was used to investigate radiation doses in gels.Day M J and Stein G 1950 Chemical effects of ionizing radiation in some gels Nature 166 146– 7 Further, in 1957 depth doses of photons and electrons in agar gels were investigated using spectrophotometry.Andrews H L, Murphy R E and LeBrun E J 1957 Gel dosimeter for depth dose measurements Rev Sci Instrum 28 329–32 Gel dosimetry today however, is founded mainly on the work of Gore et al who in 1984Gore J C, Kang Y S and Schulz R J 1984 Measurement of radiation dose distributions by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging Phys Med Biol 29 1189–97 demonstrated that changes due to ionising radiation in Fricke dosimetry solutions,Fricke H and Morse S 1927 The chemical action of roentgen rays on dilute ferrous sulphate solutions as a measure of radiation dose Am J Roentgenol Radium Therapy Nucl Med 18 430–2 developed in the 1920s, could be measured using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
