Easily one, if not the, most recognisable names in the advancement of medicine is that of Marie Curie born Maria Curie-Sklodowska in Warsaw, Poland. Her contribution to the world of medical study is incalculable. It would be impossible to say how, many lives have been saved and treatments developed from her selfless work and research that ultimately contributed to her own death.
Much like the Bridging Studies done today Curie’s pioneering work with isotopes and we have the start of radiotherapy to treat cancers from neoplasms to the ability to see inside our bodies with the use of X-rays. These two fields of identification and treatment were, and still are, truly groundbreaking and remain the cornerstone of modern medicine. It has allowed us to develop further and better treatments moving into the twenty-first century by further advancing our understanding of the human body.
Curie as a double Nobel prize winner in two fields, physics and chemistry was not only the first woman to do so but also the first overall. She was a fiercely independent person proud of her Polish heritage but respectful to the country of France that welcomed her. Few have given so much to the betterment of the human race.