It is of great interest to read between the lines of history-making science. We learn, for example, that "only the great [Ernest] Rutherford knew how to deal with Marie, because he was not awed by her— he liked her." He also is quoted as saying "Madame Curie is a hard person to handle. She has at once the advantage and inconvenience of being a woman."
The book also raises interesting questions. It states, for example, that "Rutherford was a first-rate scientist. So was Pierre Curie. If he had been able to make full use of his rich imagination and his time, would he have outstripped Rutherford?" From the evidence presented in the book, the answer is "probably not." In fact it would seem that Pierre was an introvert and Marie the driving force, and that their outstanding accomplishment was Marie's deduction that there must be a new element, in addition ...
