What did the adamant Pole offer to the world: from the emergence of radiation chemistry to the contemporary molecular biology.

Abstract

The paper briefly resumes the merits of Maria Skłodowska-Curie. It reminds the refining of several tons of pitchblende, to concentrate the radioactive components, the discovery of radioactive elements and emergence of radiation chemistry and also her initiative to use of mobile radiography units for the treatment of wounded soldiers during World War I. The main steps are listed in the development of radiation biology, radiotherapy based on understanding the interaction between ionising radiation and living cells at the molecular level and the use of radioactive markers that helped to establish the modern molecular biology.