The Fulfilment of the Alchemists’ Dream as an Immense Treasure and a Threat to the Entire Planet: Radioactivity and Nuclear Energy in the Journal Priroda 1911-1945

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20^th century, radioactive elements kindled great expectations from both the scientific community and the general public, but for different reasons. While scientists hoped for deeper insights into the structure of matter, the public dreamed of a panacea and an inexhaustible source of energy. Therefore, it is interesting to consider what kind of messages the scientific community was sending to the public in those circumstances. The richest Croatian source for such research is the magazine Priroda, a journal for the popularization of science that was published by the Croatian Natural History Society from 1911 until recently. During the first half of the 20^th century it was the only continuously open channel of communication between the local scientific community and the public. For the purpose of this research, the content of the journal in the period 1911-1945 was searched and texts relevant to the topic were identified. This article presents the results of the analysis of those texts in a historical context. The retrospective picture of radioactive elements that follows from this analysis is multidimensional and includes the presentation of the results of experimental and theoretical research on the transmutation of elements, the presentation of practical applications of radioactive elements, and the presentation of the dangers that come with the use of radioactive elements. The analysis shows that Priroda gave a complete and balanced glimpse into radioactive elements and their potential, mostly correct and as current and complete as can be expected from a popular magazine.