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Madame
Marie Curie
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Whatever happens is for everyone's good - goes an old cliché. Proved true in this instance. Russian authorities had taken over parts of Poland. As part of imposing their will as the conquerors, they abolished laboratory instruction from educational institutions. Manya's father Professor
Sklodowski, a maths and physics teacher, brought his entire laboratory equipment home.
Manya, as Marie Curie was known affectionately used to be fascinated by the lab equipment she saw at home. Her interest in science was thus kindled at a very young age.
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A pact with her sister
Born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Manya was the fifth child of Bronislawa and Vladislav
Sklodowski. In school she took readily to maths and physics and was
always at the top of her class. Financial hardships however forced
her to start earning. This she did by teaching children and getting
employment as a governess. The money she saved thus went towards paying for her elder sister's medical education. The sisters had a pact, after the elder sister Bronya passed out of medical school, she would work and pay for Manya's studies. At the time Manya was barely 17 years old. All the while that she worked she took to studying on her own in her spare time. She took a couple of postal courses in an effort to keep herself abreast of her studies. She found her father an immense help in this venture. She even took chemistry lessons from a chemist at a sugar-beet factory. This period made her
realize that her strength lay in
maths, physics and chemistry.
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Marie Curie
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Manya as Marie at Sorbonne - the exemplary student
Eventually when finances allowed she took admission at Sorbonne- the University of Paris. Before joining there she had to brush up on laboratory training which was still illegal. A cousin helped her get this training at an undercover lab. Autumn 1891 found the 24
year old Manya in Paris on the course she had set her heart on since childhood. Here she assumed the name Marie. Her living conditions were woefully inadequate. But her iron spirit and determination saw her through everything. Not having enough to pay for heating she would wear every bit of clothing that she had in an effort to ward off the bitter cold. Subsisting on bare minimum food was part of life for her for two reasons - one she could barely afford to buy food and second (the reason most of us would envy) she would be so absorbed in studies that she would forget to eat! She was a diligent student who worked extra hard having to make up for her inadequate academic background. All her hard work bore fruit and she finished her masters in Physics in 1893 and in Math in the following year. A scholarship saw her through the second master's course. Once she had made some money she paid back this scholarship so that some other deserving student might benefit.
Marie in search of a lab meets Pierre Curie
At this time she was commissioned to do a study relating to the magnetic and chemical properties of steel. Her search for lab facilities for this study led her to Pierre Curie whose lab facilities and later, life, she shared. Together they went on to make many notable contributions to the world of science. Work drew them close to each other and they got married in a simple civil ceremony in July 1895. The next academic feather that Marie added to her cap was a teaching degree in science so that she may teach other women. All the while her scientific research continued. Educational institutions offered her lab facilities and the industrial sector supplied her with materials needed for research. The Curies' first child Irene was born in September 1897. Pierre was so supportive and fascinated by her research that he put his own work aside and joined forces with her.
The Curies' work
The task they had assigned to themselves was to track down new radioactive elements. Marie herself coined the term "radioactivity". The new element discovered in July 1898 was named "polonium" after Marie's country of origin. And the one discovered in December 1898 was named "radium". More lab facilities were needed to substantiate their discoveries. So they moved their lab to a shed, which was poorly ventilated. It is believed that the poor ventilation contributed to her being exposed to more radiation and causing cancer, to which she eventually succumbed. The Curies made a presentation of their discoveries in a medical conference in Paris in 1900. They never patented any of their discoveries or processes as they believed that it was to be used by everyone and moreover they had neither time nor money to spend on such pursuits. Failing health and financial difficulties were ever-present features in their lives. 1903 saw them being
honored by Britain. The month of June in the same year saw Marie completing her thesis for her doctorate. Her thesis titled "Research on radioactive substances" contributed a wealth of scientific knowledge to the world. Pierre, not Marie was at first nominated for the Nobel Prize in 1903 along with Henri Becquerel who had initiated the concept of radiation phenomena. The reason being that
Marie was a woman and no woman had been nominated till then. Intervention by some members of the nominating committee with explanations from Pierre regarding Marie's contribution brought about her nomination. December 1903 saw Henri Becquerel and the Curie couple share the Nobel Prize for Physics. The citation was worded carefully with the new elements not being mentioned, as it was felt that they stood a chance of being awarded the Nobel for Chemistry for this achievement! The Nobel Prize for physics had been awarded for their work on Becquerel rays.
Personal tragedy and Marie's life thereafter
December 1904 brought them their younger daughter Eve. April 19, 1906 was a black day for the Curies, Pierre met with a fatal accident. Later, Marie took up the teaching post that had fallen vacant with Pierre's death. Her first lecture was to a packed and curious hall who had come to see how she, the first woman professor at Sorbonne would fare. Her research continued and she established a place for radium in the periodic table by giving accurate measurements of its atomic weight. A grant from an American philanthropist set Marie on her next goal - to establish a lab in the name of her late husband. The Radium Institute was born out of her efforts with help from friends and acquaintances.
Her father in law's death dealt her a severe blow, as he had been a mainstay in the life of her children. A grieving Marie pursued her work and took care of her family single-handedly. Her achievements despite personal tragedy were isolation of radium and the publication of a text book A treatise on Radioactivity. She also secured an international standard for radium emission. A grateful scientific community responded by naming the standard "Curie". " One Curie is the quantity of a radioactive substance that undergoes 3 x
107 disintegrations per second"- goes the dictionary definition of the word.
The second Nobel
The press gave her tough time circulating uncomplimentary reports about her. These reports hurt her and she had to stay with friends to protect her daughters. Solace came in the form of a second Nobel Prize this time in Chemistry. She was awarded her second Nobel on December 10, 1911. The award applauded her work in discovering the two new elements that had
revolutionized the scientific world and had thrown open new avenues in medical treatment. In her acceptance speech she gave due credit to other scientists and to Pierre who had also worked in the same field. The subsequent year she was dogged by ill health and she spent the better part of the year recuperating. She returned to Paris and to her beloved lab in December 1912. The scandal that had besmirched her name had blown over and the French academic community welcomed the double Nobel laureate with open arms.
Marie's contributions in the War period
In 1914 the World was in the throes of the first World War. Marie realized the importance of X-rays in the treatment of war victims. She put in all her efforts to further this cause and soon mobile radiology units were readied with trained staff to operate them. They were called petite Curies. She trained herself in human anatomy, the use of X-ray equipment and also how to drive a car. Her daughter Irene then all of 17 was trained to be a radiology assistant and mother and daughter drove down to the battle front in 1914. Irene's contribution was later
recognized in the form of a military medal from the government. Marie's wartime work of training people in radiology continued for a year after the war. The urgency created by the war resulted in her spending all her time and effort to make X-rays and radium therapy very useful in the field of medicine.
The growth of the Radium Institute
Next she turned her energies on the Radium Institute. She sought assistance for this purpose from wherever she could. A Marie Curie Radium Campaign
organized in the United States brought her a lot of grants, lab apparatus and a coveted gram of radium. Other countries including France also chipped in. The Institute progressed well and one of the moral responsibilities that it undertook was to measure the radium content of various products and see if they were safe for use. Marie's daughter Irene and her husband went on to carry on the good work and were the joint recipients of a Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Their field was artificial radioactivity. During the last twelve years of her life Marie also served on the commission on Intellectual Cooperation of the League of Nations. Health problems like cataract nagged her. She was diagnosed as suffering from a blood disorder for which there was no cure at the time. On July 4, 1934, the world bid goodbye to this great woman. |
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