Chemical Education Today
Book & Media Reviews A Devotion to Their Science: Pioneer Women of Radioactivity Marlene F. Rayner-Canham and Geoffrey W. Rayner-Canham, Eds. Chemical Heritage Foundation: Philadelphia, 1997. xx + 307 pp; Illustrations, tables, notes, index. ISBN: 07735-1608-5 (cloth), $55.00; ISBN: 07735-1642-5 (paper), $19.95.
This book is a delightfully entertaining compilation of biographical descriptions of the lives and careers of the “first generation” woman scientists in the field of radioactivity. While Marie Curie comes to the minds of everyone (really more in the “zeroth” generation, as the authors point out), this book includes many other women whose contributions to the field of atomic science have been forgotten or overlooked in most historical accounts. The list of scientists examined in this book includes women who won Nobel prizes, those who were overlooked for Nobel prizes, and those whose contributions were less publicized. The lives of seventeen such women are explored in depth and six are described briefly. Because the significance of the scientific contributions of these women has been largely overlooked, the biographical research was difficult: many of their research journals were lost entirely. The authors often had to rely on personal correspondence and schools’ academic records to piece together the lives of these scientists. Nevertheless, this may be what brings the richness to the accounts of the difficulties faced by these women. In letters written to other female atomic scientists, other male colleagues, and family members, these women often revealed their most personal experiences and innermost feelings. At the risk of spoiling the book, I will recount one anecdote included in the story of the Viennese scientist Lise Meitner. Upon deciding to enter the local university to pursue advanced studies in science, she informed her family that
they would have to keep her informed on current events in the world because she would be too busy to read newspapers. Apparently, her siblings could not resist the chance to play a joke on Meitner. They made up a war! Each day they told tales of the latest battles, body counts, etc. True to her word, Meitner was evidently too preoccupied with her work to discover the deception. The book begins with a brief review of the history of radioactivity during the period of approximately 1880 to 1940 along with an overview of the lives of the women scientists in the context of the times. Afterward, the book is divided into three main parts: the French group, the British group, and the Austro-German group. The French group is centered on the research of Marie Curie and her laboratory; the British group includes the research associated primarily with Ernest Rutherford (as well as Frederick Soddy); the Austro-German group focuses on research involving Stefan Meyer and later Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner. In each part, the lives and research of scientists most closely associated with the group are examined in separate chapters even though many of the women performed research with more than one of these groups and the scientists often corresponded and collaborated with each other. Although Rayner-Canham and Rayner-Canham are the senior authors and editors, most of the biographical chapters are contributed by others. For the most part, the editing has created a seamless work that is consistently well written. However, I did notice a few repetitions of information and quotes. On the positive side, the chapters are largely self-standing; on the negative side (for those who read the book straight through), it means that the book is somewhat longer than necessary. Nevertheless, I found myself reading some portions with the level of interest more commonly associated with suspense
edited by
Edward J. Walsh Allegheny College Meadville, PA 16335
novels. This book goes beyond the dates and facts of the experiments and publications of these women. The authors explore the family lives, personal tragedies and triumphs, marriages, births, and deaths of the women in a way that often caught me up in their lives as if I had known them personally. Issues explored include health problems associated with radiation exposure; difficulties for women at the time in gaining access to higher education and paid research positions; society’s pressures for women to marry and raise children (forcing many of the women in this book to choose between marriage and science); the roles of both male and female colleagues as mentors and collaborators. The book is extremely rich in interesting anecdotes and leaves a lasting impression of courage, dedication, and professionalism. While I do not know the intended audience, it seems appropriate for both experienced chemists and physicists and beginning science students. While some familiarity with atomic and nuclear chemistry is helpful, it is not essential for enjoying the book. The opening two chapters review the history of the field and set the stage for the biographical chapters. It would be a good supplementary text for any course that involves the history of science and it would make an excellent resource for educators who include historical descriptions of the topics in their courses or students who are writing biographical or historical papers for their classes. In summary, this is a book that reads like a novel, filled with humor, suspense, betrayal, tragedy, pride, and humility. Whether for a course or purely for pleasure, it is worth the investment of time. Margaret H. Venable Department of Science DeKalb College, Clarkston, GA 30021
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 75 No. 2 February 1998 • Journal of Chemical Education
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