The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-14
THE RADIUM PEOPLE
A VISIT TO THE CURES, DISCOVER
ER5 OF WONDERFUL MINERAL
0aSoand and Wife Joint Laborers
For Many Years In the Realm of
scfence-A Visit to Their Home T,
France.
Special Correspondence1

Especial Correspondence.
Par1s, April q. Few people are
aware that the wonderful new mineral
called radium was made known to the
world through the efforts of a woman.
Nine. Curie, who is the wife of Pro-
lessor Pierre Curie, himself a scientist
or no mean note. They are Parisians
ana FOR the moment are the most strik-
Ing ana interesting personages in the
city, Their home is In a small cottage
in the most inaccessible southern dis
trlct overlooking the Notifications and
tar away from the intellectual and
Iashlonabie centers of the capital New
ertheless this little cottage, as may be
expected, has become a Mecca for all
interested in scientific progress and re-
search. While reticent regarding the
uses to which they expect radium to be
put-Professor Curie is now organizing
a company to exploit the mineral-they
are courteous and willing to talk con-
corning the discovery and the nature of
the mineral.
1t appears, as Nine Curie informed
me when | visited their. pretty little
nome recently, that her experiments
which resulted in the extraction and
isolation of the wonderful substance
were due to her having heard of the
accidental discovery by Becguerel. an
other French scientist. that uranium.
which is derived from pitchblende.
emitted light rays. She at once re-
solved to secure some pitchblende and
try to determine it's chemical analysts.
In the subsequent experiments she was
or course assisted by her husband, and
thus it is that the honor of discovering
radium is in the eyes of the scientific
world shared Jointly by them, although.
as a matter of fact, she can Justly
claim sole title
After subjecting the pitchblende to
chemical tests she finally found that it
contained mineral exhibiting an &C.
tivity many times greater than the IA
nous cathode rays.
This mineral Mrs. Curie named polo
mum In honor of her native country.
Poland. There remained another sub
stance, however, which possessed
thousand times greater activity. scien-
lists estimating that it will threw off
particles with a velocity sometimes
reaching 10000 miles second. This
substance is radium.
So much has been written regarding
Its wonderful properties that it is not |
necessary for me to detail them here |
1t might be proper, however, to men-
ton some of the peculiar effects it has
upon the nervous centers of human |
beings and animals, as indicating the |
extreme caution with which the Curies
Were obliged to pursue their in |
quiries. A glass tube containing one |
or two miiligrams of radium will when |
carried in the waisteoat pocket produce
a painful wound, requiring months to
heal. Tubes of radium placed in con-
tact with the necks of guinea pigs kill |
the animals In few hours. Professor
Curie says that it would probably be
death to man to enter a room con-
tanning pound of the wonderful min
aral. Each week reveals startling adj
ditions to its weird properties. and
scientists are now beginning to ask
themselves If Nine. Curie has not in
radium discovered perpetual motion.
The talented Frenchwoman bears her
honors modestly and insists that her