| STUBBORN
SCIENTIST Madame Curie paved the way for the development of nuclear physics and
cancer therapy. Born in Poland, a conservative country of that time, she established
herself as a woman of science and courage, compassionate yet stubbornly determined. Her
discovery of ‘radium’ became the reason for her death. She harbored within her
the dream of a scientific career, a concept inconceivable for a woman of that time. But
she never gave up, and fulfilled her scientific dream. When she died, she was almost
blinded; her fingers were burnt and stigmatized by her ‘dear’ radium. She was a
gifted scientist. Her work at Sorbonne opened the new way to nuclear science. She often
used the words ‘We must act’. It was the motive of her life. In the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, the Suffragette Movement towards the equal rights of
woman was developed in Europe. While she was not actively involved in it, her achievements
and awards were a great encouragement to the movement. 
‘NOBEL’
PRIZE AWARDED TWICE – A RARE FEAT
Marie
Curie was awarded the Nobel twice in her life. It was the first time a person had been
awarded the Nobel Prize twice: one in 1903 and the other in 1911. Those historical moments
propelled Madame Curie to dizzy heights of fame. Madame Curie and her husband were the
‘parents’ of radium and polonium.
She
served in the battle zones of World War I. And in this way, she prevented innumerable
amputations, by enabling surgeons to find the precise location of bullets and shattered
bones, by using mobile X-ray services. She was the founder of a course to instruct
technicians in Radiology. Her paper, "Radiology and War" showed how scientific
research could save human life from suffering. She also unashamedly asked for support from
the wealthiest families in the community. Madame Curie believed in love and peace. She
also supported world peace by serving on the council of the League of Nations and on its
International Committee on intellectual cooperation.
DOOR OF NUCLEAR AGE
| |
Aligned with Einstein, Madame Curie carries the glory as well as the blame attached to ushering in the world the nuclear age. It is true that no one had the answer to the toxic legacy of the radioactive waste that caused the total destruction of Hiroshima in 1945. Yet, the work of these scientific pioneers has given the world a greater understanding and respect for the atomic process and its dangers. Einstein’s message to Roosevelt in 1939, concerning the possibility of a nuclear bomb, was always intended as deterrent to war. The misuse of the technology by unsafe testing was never part of Einstein’s or Madame Curie’s equations. Immense knowledge is a double- edged sword, but ignoring the process for fear of change, harbors its own intrinsic dangers. ‘New York Times’, in 1921 with a front-page headline promising, ‘MADAME CURIE PLANS TO END ALL CANCERS’, celebrated her precious invention. |
BALANCE OF MIND
Documentaries and
dramatization of her life have had a common theme, praise for the selfless pursuit of
alleviating human suffering, which was Madame Curie’s lifetime work. Her fame
stretched to the commissioning of commemorative, 50 years anniversary postage stamps,
celebrating the discovery of radium. She possessed the determination as well as the vision
necessary to succeed in her research. Madame Curie always believed in love, and love was
out of her life after the death of her husband. She also fought the prejudices of that
day, hatred of foreigners and sexism. But Madame Curie, in her youth, was attracted
towards an intellectual physicist Pierre and decided to marry him. The idea of choosing
between a family life and that of a scientist did not even cross her mind. She resolved to
face love, motherhood and science. Through her unconquerable will and her enthusiasm, she
succeeded in balancing her domestic life as well as her career as a scientist. Madame
Curie was, what we today would call a "working parent". Her exceptional
dedication, courage and endurance would prove to be an inspiration for today’s
generation. |
