Abstract
Marie Curie gave outstanding contributions to science and society that were recognized still in her lifetime. In particular, the discovery of radium completely changed the therapeutic methods for treatment of cancer and other diseases, and allowed the development of radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. Radium was also used in many non-medical applications. Radium applications fostered the growth of uranium mining industry during the first half of 20th century. During the second half of the past century, with developments of artificial radionuclides production and particle physics, radium was gradually replaced by shorter-lived radionuclides and electron and photon beams in cancer therapy. In the 70s and 80s most radium sources in cancer hospitals were replaced while in non-medical applications radium had been substituted already. Notwithstanding, the avenue for medical use of radioactivity and radionuclides opened with Marie Curie discoveries and radium applications still goes on. This avenue is currently pursued in curietherapy and nuclear medicine.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abbé R (1904): The subtle power of radium. Med Record, New York 66:321.
Curie E. (1938): Madame Curie. Editions Gallimard, Paris. New-edition 2010.
Curie M. (1921): The discovery of radium. Address by Madame M. Curie at Vassar College 14 May 1921. Ellen S. Richards Monographs, No 2, Vassar College.
Curie P. & Curie M. (1898): Sur une substance nouvelle radio-active contenue dans la pechblende. Comptes rendus de l’Académie des Sciences. 127:175–178.
Curie P., Curie M, Bemont G. (1898): Sur une nouvelle substance fortement radio-active contenue dans la pechblende. Comptes rendus de l’Académie des Sciences. 127:1215–1218.
Curie M. (1911): Radium and the new concepts of chemistry. Nobel Conference Lecture, Stockholm. 11 1911.
Curie M. (1912): Les mésures en radioactivité et l’etalon du radium. J. Phys 5th Series 2:795–798.
Danlos H & Bloch P (1901): Note sur le traitement du lupus erythemateux par des applications du radium. Ann Dermatol and Syphilog: 986–988.
Eisenberg R(1992): Radiology: an illustrated history. Mosby Year Book, New York.
Fevrier (2011): L’ héritage Marie Curie. Les dossiers de la Recherche, N 42, Fevrier 2011, Paris.
IAEA (2005): Environmental Contamination from Uranium Production facilities and their Remediation. Proceedings of an International Workshop, Lisbon, 11–13 February 2004. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 2005.
IAEA (2009): Clinical Translation of Radiolabelled Monoclonal Antibodies and Peptides. IAEA Human Health Series No. 8. International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, 2009.
Mould R F (2007): Radium History Mosaic. Nowotwory Journal Oncology (Warsaw), Supp. 4, Vol 57.
NN (2011): Chemistry International, Vol 33, no 1. (www.iupac.org/publications/ci/index.html).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Carvalho, F. (2011). Marie Curie and the Discovery of Radium. In: Merkel, B., Schipek, M. (eds) The New Uranium Mining Boom. Springer Geology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22122-4_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22122-4_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-22121-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-22122-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)