Origin and Education
Leopold Gottlieb was born on 17 March 1852 as the son of the straw merchant Gabriel Gottlieb. He attended the grammar school in Jindřichův Hradec and graduated on 3 August 1872.
He then studied medicine in Vienna and received his medical degree on 14 June 1878.
Medical Practice and Arrival in Jáchymov
After his studies he worked as a general practitioner in his hometown of Kardašova Řečice until 1886.
In 1889 he was appointed district physician in Jáchymov. Here he began to study the health effects of substances associated with mining.
Research on Radon Water
During his work in Jáchymov Gottlieb became familiar with the research of Marie Curie-Skłodowska and began cooperating with engineer Josef Štěp.
In 1905 he was commissioned by Minister Buquoy to investigate the therapeutic effects of radon water from the Werner mine (later called Rovnost). His research led him to the idea of using this water for therapeutic baths.
The First Radon Baths in Jáchymov
Gottlieb therefore established the first unofficial radon baths in Jáchymov. They operated in the house of the baker Kühn, where the original bathtub has survived to this day.
He also experimented with the artificial preparation of radon water by leaching waste from the uranium paint factory in Jáchymov, the same material from which Marie Curie-Skłodowska isolated polonium and radium. The radioactivity of this water was regularly measured by engineer Josef Štěp.
In 1909 he prepared a therapeutic bath for the British king Edward VII, who visited Jáchymov during one of his stays in Mariánské Lázně to attend a lecture by Štěp.
By 1910 approximately 750 patients had been treated in these early baths.
Publications and Scientific Activity
In 1911 Gottlieb published the work Radiumbad St. Joachimsthal together with the local school inspector Müller.
In the same year he was appointed senior district physician and received the title of imperial and royal councillor.
In 1912 he presented a lecture on radon therapy and the Jáchymov spa at the 6th International Congress for General and Medical Radiology held in Prague. The congress included a one-day excursion to Jáchymov.
Death and Legacy
From 25 April 1912 he lived in Prague, where he died on 21 June 1912.
Until 1938 a street in Jáchymov was named after him (today Mánesova Street). Because of his Jewish origin the street was renamed in 1938, and today no memorial plaque in the town commemorates Dr. Gottlieb.
