Madam Marie Curie - Research Paper Example

Madam Marie Curie Q1. Madam Marie Curie was the first woman to be honored with a noble prize for her services to the augmentation of chemical knowledge by the discovery of the elements--- radium and polonium, which she was able to investigate with her husband, Pierre Curie (McGrayne 34). Q2. Radium, Curie’s explored element was used to develop mobile radiography units, which were used as a treatment for wounded soldiers in First World War. Mobile radiography units were tubes containing a colorless, radioactive gas known as radon (Pasachoff 67). Because of her contribution to welfare of humankind, she gained positive reputation and became famous. Her explored elements helped in healing the wounds of soldiers that get injured during the war due to which, her contribution can be regarded as grand because it served humanity (McGrayne 69). Her input to the field of science is significant because it is due to the discovery that the scientists were able to discover new aspects of treatment associated with the exploration of further elements. Q3. I realized from Pasachoff’s book, Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity (1996) that radium and polonium are dangerous chemical elements, they require to be handled with care and in properly controlled conditions but when the Curies were trying to explore them, their environment was quite insecure as they were using a shed which had a glass roof which was imperfect for protection against changing weathers (143). The shed was cold in winter and hot in summer. Marie Curie lacked the facilities of a well-established laboratory and made a historic discovery by overcoming the obstacle of an improper work environment. McGrayne’s book, Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries (1998) describes that Wilhelm Ostwald was amazed seeing the working conditions of Marie Curie (62). No one was against Marie’s work but her successes in terms of her discoveries were rewarded in form of Noble prizes and later, her name was used as an icon for many institutions (169). Q4. According to my understood knowledge, in Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity (1996), Marie reported that Radium was not for her own welfare but for the comfort of the masses (Pasachoff 82). She considered radium as an element that purely belonged to common people (82). She never wanted to gain a higher financial status on the basis of her discovery but she was always ambitious to give a boost to human knowledge to uncover the secrets of nature (82). She never owned radium. McGrayne’s book, Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries (1998), describes Marie Curie as a dedicating personality who led her life for giving something to the world (142). Women like Marie Curie are a treasure for the world and humankind should try to improve the conditions of the world by taking benefit of the discoveries made by such persons by utilizing the explorations in positive terms and by unemployment of the negative possibilities of innovations (Pasachoff 83). Radium explored by her should be used for positive results and not for negative ones. Q5. The discovery of radium and polonium assisted in future innovation in nuclear physics and chemistry (Pasachoff 69). Scientists were able to proceed in experimentation of nuclear technology because of Curie’s crucial role in the development of radioactive elements. She is a pioneer for showing new ways to scientists to explore the world. According to my understanding of Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries (1998) by McGrayne, new explorations make us know about the world more closely, it is in the hands of human beings to use new technology in constructive or destructive way as radium and polonium can be used for unlawful atomic purposes as well as for energy formation and medical purposes (106). Q6. Another cause of Curie’s significance in human history told in Pasachoff’s book Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity (1996) is that radium is also used for cancer treatment. Therefore, the element, which was initially explored by Curie, will always be supportive for human welfare if it is used positively and it can be highly disparaging if is used otherwise (73). Her discovery was a tremendous contribution to humankind as it helped to eradicate human suffering in terms of physical distress (McGrayne 34). Q7. Pasachoff in his book, Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity (1996) elaborates the process of discovery of radium and polonium and makes his readers know about the hardships that were faced by Marie Curie (152). According to my understood information from Pasachoff’s book (1996), the details related to the discoveries are: Radium and polonium were discovered in 1898. Polonium was explored at the end of June 1898 while radium was noted for the first time in December 26, 1898. Madam Marie Curie had been working in the laboratory since 1897 along with her husband, Pierre Curie (131). For collection of some amount of radium for demonstration, they spent four years. Q8. The elements were explored in a school’s laboratory in Paris, France. Marie Curie lacked the availability of proper setup for her discovery due to which, she used the laboratory of a school for her exploration (Pasachoff 89). She worked in insecure working conditions as the school laboratory do not provide her with all the facilities that were required for a professional scientific work of the level at which, she was working. According to McGrayne, her discovery and working environment amazed people (62). Q9. Madam Marie Curie was helped by her husband Pierre Currie. Marie’s husband, Pierre Curie was always supportive for her as he belonged to the same field as Marie’s (Pasachoff139). They spent days and nights together in the laboratory to investigate about the elements. They were deprived of suitable working conditions (Pasachoff 143). Pierre Curie was himself a scientist and took interest in his wife’s field. He supported her to a great extent and never disturbed her in her work but always stood with her to help her. Q10. What I comprehended from McGrayne’s book, Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries (1998) is that after Marie Curie’s awesome discovery, people developed an interest in her personality but after winning the Nobel Prize, she got a worldwide fame (171). Evidence for people’s reaction towards her achievements can be the tributes that were given to her, in her life and after her death (173). Educational institutions such as Pierre and Marie Curie University, Marie Curie Skłodowska University, Curie Metropolitan High School are named after her and also the unit of radioactivity is known as curie because of her (189). Sarah Bernhardt read an "Ode to Madame Curie" as the sister of Prometheus---a literary character (195). Works Cited McGrayne, Sharon Bertsch. Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries. New York: Carol Press, 1998: 34-195. Pasachoff, Naomi. Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996: 67-152. Read More