You might be familiar with Lise Meitner, a pioneering Austrian physicist who became the first woman to hold a full professorship in physics in Germany. Her contributions to the discovery of nuclear fission are legendary, yet it was her close collaborator, Otto Hahn, who alone received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944 for this monumental work.
Throughout her career, Meitner faced substantial barriers due to prevailing misogyny and sexism. However, the rise of antisemitism and the Nazi regime in Germany presented an even more formidable threat. Despite having converted to Lutheranism, her Jewish roots made her a target. In 1938, with the aid of friends, Meitner managed to escape to neutral Sweden. Although safe, she found herself intellectually isolated, lamenting in a letter to physicist Hedwig Kohn, “I can never discuss my experiments with anyone who understands them.”
Olivia Campbell’s “Sisters in Science” explores the lives of Meitner and three other remarkable women physicists: Kohn, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stucklen. While only Kohn was Jewish, the anti-female intellectual environment of the Third Reich caused all these women to lose their academic positions.
All four eventually found refuge in the United States, continuing their scientific endeavors and supporting one another. Kohn had the most arduous escape, navigating an elaborate route through the Soviet Union, Japan, and across the Pacific Ocean, finally reaching safety in 1940 after a perilous journey.
Their story is profoundly inspiring, particularly poignant as Campbell dedicates the book to other women academics who were killed by the Nazis. She writes, “Their absence haunts this book; the rippling impact of their loss affects us all.”
Despite its inherently compelling narrative, “Sisters in Science” poses some reading challenges. The complexity arises from its ambitious scope and the difficulty of weaving four equally important narratives, each unique yet intertwined. Campbell’s decision to address the scientists by their first names—three of which start with the letter ‘H’—compounds the confusion.
Bringing the intricacies of physics to a general audience is another hurdle. While the concept of fission, the division of atomic nuclei releasing vast energy, is relatively straightforward, the various specialized fields of the other three physicists—spectroscopy, optics, and astrophysics—are less accessible.
Greater attention to editing and historical accuracy could have enhanced the book. Campbell occasionally missteps, such as incorrectly placing Dachau, the notorious concentration camp, and misunderstanding significant historical events like Kristallnacht and its implications for Jews at the time.
However, Campbell does offer valuable insights into the difficulties faced by women scientists in Germany, such as struggles for fair compensation, adequate research facilities, and recognition. She highlights the resilience and mutual support these women, alongside some sympathetic male colleagues, demonstrated.
An anecdote about Meitner’s early career is particularly telling. As Hahn’s assistant in Berlin, she initially worked in suboptimal conditions, relegated to a basement workshop without nearby facilities. Yet Meitner’s determination saw her ascend to lead the physics department at Berlin’s Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry, even maintaining this role briefly during the Nazi era, despite her dismissal from the University of Berlin.
The narrative also sheds light on supportive male scientists, like Nobel laureate James Franck, who resigned in protest against Nazi policies and later assisted those left behind, including women.
Franck and Sponer shared a unique bond, both professional and personal. After leaving Germany via Denmark, Franck settled in the U.S., and Sponer took up a position at Duke University, collaborating with Edward Teller on molecular physics. Their relationship blossomed into romance, culminating in marriage in 1946, providing a touching human element to the broader story of adversity and perseverance.
Julia M. Klein is known for her expertise in cultural reporting and critique, contributing significantly to the Philadelphia cultural scene.
