Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13

~ NE of the great scientists of the present
Al 4 century will make her second visit to
" America this month. Marie Curie
Y W. comes to dedicate the new Hepburn
I Laboratory Of Chemistry at st. Law
renee University. to attend dinner given in
hoir r OF Thomas Aiva Edison and to meet
the friends she made on her previous trip III
1921.
This previous trip was arranged by group
of women who admired one who is perhaps
the greatest woman scientist of all time and
who not only wished to do her honor. but to
give her long needed vacation from the
arduous labors of her research laboratory; Tor
the continuous handling of radium in large
quantities is dangerous and her health had
been seriously undermined not only by such
exposure to the radium rays, but by her long
devotion to her laboratory.
Her only vacations have been occasional visits
to her native country to see her relatives,
few short trips which she made to give lectures
on the discovery of radium, and the travelling
which she did during the development of radio
logical services during the war. In this she
played most important part, for she created
out of nothing group OF portable Pathological
laboratories which Travelled to the spot where
they were most needed for the diagnosis of
bone injuries or the location of bullets or shell
particles which needed extraction.
BEFORE her first trip to America it had been
found, strange as it may seem, that the
woman who had not only discovered radium,
but had by the most extraordinary industry
and concentration added very greatly to or
knowledge Of the nature of that substance, was
not in the possession of suficIent quantity to
carry on her further Investigations. Her adj
mirers therefore had collected sufncient
amount Of money to purchase gram OF this
precious substance made from carnotite ores
of Colorado, and the presentation of this radium
was made a pageant of great beauty. The cere-
mony was held in the White House at Washing
ton in the presence of a notable body OF cabinet
ministers, diplomats, judges, high officers of the
Army and Navy representatives of women's
clubs and societies, prominent citizens OF Wash
ington and other cities scientists from the whole
country all friends and admirers Of this re-
markable woman.
The French Ambassador, M. Jusserand, made
a short Introductory talk and President Hard
ing presented the radium in an admirable
speech, to which Mime. Curie replied in few
words.
The radium itself was not brought to the
ceremony but heavy lead case, weighing more
than so pounds in which the radum was 10
be stored, was ON stand before the President
He presented Mime. Curie with the key to the
box in which the ,radium-at that time in safe
storage in the vaults of the Bureau Of Stand
ards-was afterward transported to France. The
weight of this box was q sufficient guaranty
that no passing pilferer would attempt to
steal it.
With the true scientific spirit Mime. Curie
refused to accept the radum as a personal gift,
but insisted that the deed should be so made
that the radium would become the property Of
the laboratory named in honor of her husband
the Curie Laboratory-and the surplus money,
for the momentum Of the subscription had car
ried 1.-The fund quite distance beyond the
amount necessary to pay for the radium, was
trusted and the income offered to Nine Curie
to conduct further work,
Now she has come again, and her friends have
subscribed $50 600 to give her what she most
desires-another gram of radium to be used in
the service of humanity in her own country, Poo
land, which at present has no radium BY her
efforts and the generosity of the French gov
eminent and private individuals the Paris Insti-
tute of Radiun in which she is interested, has
q sufficient supply for its purposes The major
quantity is in the laboratory of biology, pre-
sided over by Prof. Claude Regaud. The rela-
lively small quantity which is used for investi-
CATION purposes is in Nine Curie's own institute,
that of physics.
TO these two institutes must go all those who
are interested either in the scientific investiga-
ton of the nature of radium and the rays
which it gives on. or in the application of these
rays TO relieve human suffering from cancer.
For while Nine Curie's institute is obviously the
most famous the Biological Institute is gradual
ly being recognized as the center Of the highest
type of investigation on the application Of
radium and X-ray to the treatment of cancer
Prof. Regaud has gathered about him group
of physicists and scientists who devote their
time to the free treatment of those afnicted
with this disease, and those who are the most