Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Marie Curie in Radiography

Marie Curie is best known for her work in radioactivity. During World War I Curie, through conversation with an eminent radiologist Dr. Henri Beclere, recognized that radiographic equipment was rarely used in the French military. When it was used, the equipment was usually in poor condition and was being used by untrained persons (Quinn, 1996). Curie stopped her work in radioactivity and started working where she was needed most, in radiology (Dewing, 1962).

The French government did not give this work any consideration. She was required to scrounge money, equipment and materials to continue the project. Manufacturers of x-ray equipment were harassed until they would provide what was needed (Dewing, 1962). In fact, Curie faced many obstacles in this endeavour, being a woman, a volunteer, and offering a service that was not offered by the military (Quinn, 1996).

Curie took radiography equipment that was going unutilized in laboratories or in the offices of doctors who had been mobilized, and installed them in hospitals. Marie knew more about medicine than most of her colleagues in physics and chemistry, as her siblings were both medical doctors. Working in radiology allowed her to use her scientific knowledge to aid those who were wounded in war (Quinn, 1996).

While working in hospitals in Paris and from radiologist Dr. Beclere, Curie learned the fundamentals of radiography. With this new knowledge, she taught volunteers of radiological technique and anatomy (Quinn, 1996). She converted her Institute of Radium into a school for radiologic technicians. Between 1916 and 1918, she personally trained 150 female technicians, in addition to American soldiers (Kelves, 1997; Dewing, 1962).
 
Curie (centre) with four of her students (Library of Congress, 1910-1915).

Marie and her seventeen year old daughter, Irene, worked to convert ordinary automobiles into mobile radiography cars, which were called "les voitures radiologique" and sometimes "petits Curies" by the French soldiers. The car's motor powered the x-ray tube. The cars would be packed with all necessary equipment and were embarked by a doctor, a technician, and a driver. Marie learned to drive with the intent of not requiring a chauffeur. She thought that a good team works inter-professionally and transcends their roles (Quinn, 1996; Kelves, 1997).
 
Curie in a mobile radiography car (Centre of History for Physics, 2010)

When the car arrives at the locale of the wounded, the team, within half an hour, unloads and installs the equipment. Then, the team gets to work, where fluoroscopy and radiography are used to examine the patient. Observations are recorded. Then, the team packs up and returns to base to get to work on their next case (Quinn, 1996).

Over the course of the war, Curie helped install 200 x-ray units for the French and Belgian armies, and provided 20 more radiography cars. Before WWI, radiology was on the fringes of medical practice. The mass involvement of radiography throughout the first world war brought radiology to the forefront of medicine (Kelves, 1997).

Center of History for Physics. (2010). Help for the wounded. Retrieved from 
http://www.aip.org/history/curie/brief/05_campaigns/campaigns_1.html

Dewing, S. B. (1962). Modern Radiology in Historical Perspective. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publisher

Kelves, B. (1997). Naked to the Bone: Medical Imaging in the Twentieth Century. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press

Library of Congress (1910-1915). Marie Curie and four of her students. Retrieved from 
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-photo.html 

Quinn, S. (1996). Marie Curie: a life. United States of America: Da Capo Press

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