What name was given to the mobile X-ray units she organized in WWI?

The mobile X-ray units Marie Curie organized in World War I were called the Petites Curies, or “Little Curies.”

These were vehicles fitted with X-ray equipment and electrical generators so doctors could examine wounded soldiers close to the battlefield. Radiographs helped surgeons locate bullets and shrapnel before operating, reducing the need to transport severely injured patients long distances.

Curie worked with the French military medical service and the Red Cross to expand mobile radiography. She also trained personnel, including nurses, to operate the equipment. Her daughter Irène accompanied her in some wartime radiological work. Curie later obtained a driving license so she could personally take equipment to the front.

The nickname is often written in French as “petites Curies.” It refers to the vehicles and mobile radiology teams, not to a type of X-ray or radioactive substance. The units became an important early example of battlefield medical imaging.