女兒的出生令一個嚴重的問題出現在了我們面前：怎樣才能做到既可以哺育照料女兒又不至于放棄科學研究呢？放棄科學研究，對我來說，無疑是一種巨大的痛苦，皮埃爾同樣認為我不應該放棄研究，并且他從來就沒有這么想過。因為他經常在說，上帝特意為他造就了我這樣一個好妻子，就是為了讓我與他分享一切的。我們兩個都沒有考慮過要放棄我們如此珍愛的科研工作。

這樣一來，我們就必須要雇一個女傭了，但我仍然親自照料女兒。當我去實驗室干活兒時，就把女兒交給她的爺爺照看。爺爺十分疼愛自己的孫女，他的生活也因為小孫女的出生而增添了無盡的樂趣。家人之間相互的關懷、體諒，使我能夠既安心地從事研究，又沒有耽誤對女兒的照料。只有當遇到特殊情況時，比如女兒生病什么的，我才因需要整宿整宿地照看她而打亂生活規律。

It can be easily understood that there was no place in our life for worldly relations.We saw but a few friends，scientific workers，like ourselves，with whom we talked in our home or in our garden，while I did some sewing for my little girl.We also maintained affectionate relations with my husband's brother and his family.But I was separated from all my relatives，as my sister had left Paris with her husband to live in Poland.

It was under this mode of quiet living，organized according to our desires，that we achieved the great work of our lives，work begun about the end of 1897 and lasting for many years.

I had decided on a theme for my doctorate.My attention had been drawn to the interesting experiments of Henri Becquerel on the salts of the rare metal uranium.Becquerel had shown that by placing some uranium salt on a photographic plate，covered with black paper，the plate would be affected as if light had fallen on it.The effect is produced by special rays which are emitted by the uranium salt and are different from ordinary luminous rays as they can pass through black paper.Becquerel also showed that these rays can discharge an electroscope.He at first thought that the uranium rays were produced as a result of exposing the uranium salt to light，but experiment showed that salts kept for several months in the dark continued the peculiar rays.

My husband and I were much excited by this new phenomenon，and I resolved to undertake the special study of it.It seemed to me that the first thing to do was to measure the phenomenon with precision.In this I decided to use that property of the rays which enabled them to discharge an electroscope.However，instead of the usual electroscope，I used a more perfect apparatus.One of the models of the apparatus used by me for these first measurements is now in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Philadelphia.

由于我們忙于事業，不愿意受到不相干事情的打擾，所以我們聯系的朋友不多。偶爾有一兩位像我們一樣的科學工作者來訪，我們通常在屋子或花園里交談，在這同時我還經常為女兒做些針線活什么的。在親戚方面，僅有皮埃爾的哥哥以及他的家人同我們一直來往密切，在我的姐姐、姐夫回到波蘭之后，我同娘家的親戚就很少來往了，因為離得太遠。

正是這種平靜并且完全符合我們心意的生活方式才使我們得以完成一生中的偉大事業。自1897年開始，這種科學研究事業就從未中斷過。我決定要為我的博士論文準備論題了。當時，亨利·貝克萊爾正進行著稀有金屬鈾鹽的實驗。這種非常有意思的實驗，吸引了我的注意力。當貝克萊爾將鈾鹽用不透光的黑紙密封好放在照相底片上時，發現底片會被感光，好像受到過日光照射似的。貝克萊爾認為，底片被感光，是因為鈾鹽能夠放射出一種與日光不同的射線，它可以穿透不透光的黑紙。此外，通過實驗，貝克萊爾還證明這種射線可以使得驗電器放電。剛開始的時候，貝克萊爾錯以為鈾鹽在日光下的暴曬是鈾鹽射線得以產生的原因，但他后來發現在黑暗中存放幾個月之后，鈾鹽仍舊可以放出這種射線。

皮埃爾同我都對這種新發現的射線具有極大的興趣，我更是下定決心要對它的性質加以研究。要想研究這種新射線，首先就得對它做出精確的定量測量。于是我便利用驗電器放電的特性開始測量，不過我不是像貝克萊爾那樣使用普通的驗電器，而是換用了一種能做定量測量的設備。我當初用來進行測量的這些設備的模型，現在已經被陳列在美國費城醫學院了。

I was not long in obtaining interesting results.My determinations showed that the emission of the rays is an atomic property of the uranium，whatever the physical or chemical conditions of the salt were.Any substance containing uranium is as much more active in emitting rays，as it contains more of this element.

I then thought to find out if there were other substances possessing this remarkable property of uranium，and soon found that substances containing thorium behaved in a similar way，and that this behavior depended similarly on an atomic property of thorium.I was now about to undertake a detailed study of the uranium and thorium rays when I discovered a new interesting fact.

I had occasion to examine a certain number of minerals.A few of them showed activity；they were those containing either uranium or thorium.The activity of these minerals would have had nothing astonishing about it，if it had been in proportion to the quantities of uranium or thorium contained in them.But it was not so.Some of these minerals revealed an activity three or four times greater than that of uranium.I verified this surprising fact carefully，and could not doubt its truth.Speculating about the reason for this，there seemed to be but one explanation.There must be，I thought，some unknown substance，very active，in these minerals.My husband agreed with me and I urged that we search at once for this hypothetical substance，thinking that，with joined efforts，a result would be quickly obtained.Neither of us could foresee that in beginning this work we were to enter the path of a new science which we should follow for all our future.

沒過多久，我便獲得了有趣的結果。實驗結果表明，這種射線的放射其實是鈾元素原子特性的一種，而與鈾鹽的物理或者化學性質無關。任何鈾鹽，如果它所含鈾元素越多，放出的射線也就越強。

于是我又想進一步地弄清楚，是否還有其他的元素也能夠像鈾鹽一樣放射出相同的射線。不久我便發現，釷元素也具有相同的特性。正當準備對鈾與釷的放射性做進一步的研究時，我又發現了一個有意思的情況。

我曾經有用放射性方法對一定數量的礦石進行檢驗的經歷。如果這些礦石能夠產生同樣的射線的話，那就能夠確定它們含有鈾或釷。假如這些礦石的放射強度和礦石所含的鈾或者釷的成分成正比的話，那也就沒什么好驚詫的了。但事實上卻不是如此，有些礦石的放射性強度為鈾的三四倍。對這一新發現我進行了仔細的查核，最后確定這是毋庸置疑的事實。我認真分析了這一現象，得出了唯一的一種解釋：這種礦石中含有一種還不為人知的元素，其放射性遠遠勝過鈾和釷。皮埃爾也贊同我的分析，于是我便希望可以盡快發現這一神秘的元素。我堅信，只要我和皮埃爾共同努力，就一定可以獲得成功。然而，隨著研究的深入，我們卻走上了一條通往新科學的道路，這是我們始料不及的，而且，從此我們就再也沒離開過這條新的科學之路。