Technikatörténeti szemle 22. (1996)

Papers from the Second International Conference on the History of Chemistry and Chemical Industry (Eger, Hungary, 16–19 August, 1995) - Palló, Gábor: Early Research on Radioactivity in Hungary

GÁBOR PALLÓ* EARLY RESEARCH ON RADIOACTIVITY IN HUNGARY A hundred years ago a man, called Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, sitting in a dark room engaged in experiments with his vacuum tube, saw an unexpected light on a slice of paper that was painted with a luminescent material. This little flash of light led to a vast amount of research work for new radiations and, as a consequence, to a new picture of the structure of material. Scientists made tremendous efforts for finding new rays, new particles, new conceptions for the atoms. This endeavor resulted not only in surprisingly new facts and theories, in entirely new territories of science like radioactivity but also in new heroes and legends of science. Roentgen, Becquerel, and the Curies became symbols of a new epoch of scientific research. Many scientists followed suit around the turn of the century, and radioactivity soon became one of the most popular fields of science all over the world. Chemists and physicists worked together obscuring the border between their formerly distinct, branches of science. In this paper I would like to analyze the particular features of the Hungarian scientific efforts in the field of radioactivity with special regards to the success of many Hungarian scientists in the modern fields of science. This characterization can be summed up in two words: promptness and skepticism. To show the advantages and disadvantages of this attitude, first I will attempt to pinpoint the very first sign os of the reception of radioactivity in Hungary. Then I will try to characterize the early research activities both from cognitive and institutional aspects, and finally, to show the career patterns of these early researchers, which pattern sometimes concluded in leaving Hungary for a more central site of research and a better opportunity for life. Ever since Newton said that he had stood on giants' shoulders, many historians of science like to consider scientists as building big pyramids from * Technical University of Budapest, Institute of Physics H-1521 Budapest (Hungary)