Biographies from Nowotwory Journal of Oncology 2006–2017

Abstract

All major oncological journals have during the last 20 years or so, devoted very few pages to the history of medicine, except in the centenary years of the discoveries of X-rays (Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen in 1895), radioactivity (Antoine- -Henri Becquerel in 1896) and radium (Marie & Pierre Curie in 1898). These major journals include the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology & Physics (the so-called red journal), Radiotherapy & Oncology (the so-called green journal), Strahlentherapie und Onkologie , and the British Journal of Radiology . Nowotwory Journal of Oncology has had a different philosophy and has continued to publish history of medicine papers relating to oncology. These papers, and also Nowotwory books/supplements [1–4] often contain items of biographical information. However, in addition, from time to time, Nowotwory has published special papers which are biographies of pioneers who have made important impacts in the field of radiation oncology. In this paper they are now gathered together in a bibliography to enable researchers in the history of radiation oncology to more easily access them. So much has been written about Wilhelm Rontgen, Marie Curie, and Irene & Frederic Joliot-Curie that it would have been repetitious to give them lengthy individual Nowotwory illustrated biographies. Nevertheless they are mentioned in papers to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the discovery of X-rays [5], the 110th anniversary of the discovery of polonium [6] and the 75th anniversary of the discovery by the Joliot-Curies of the artificial production of radioactive elements [7].