Marie Curie (1867 – 1934), also known as Marie Skłodowska-Curie, and often commonly referred to as 'Madame Curie', was a French scientist who won two Nobel prizes for her work with radiative elements (one in physics, one in chemistry). Maria Salomea Skłodowska was born in Poland but moved to work in France and married the French scientist Pierre Curie. She became a naturalised French citizen. Working with Pierre she discovered radium and polonium. She was a pioneer of the medical applications of radioactivity. In the first world war, she set up X-ray units to be used for diagnostic purposes for field hospitals and in mobile units. She campaigned for government and public support for scientific work. She suffered critical health issues later in life that likely were caused by her work with ionising radiation.
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