James Douglas Papers
Scope and Contents
.3 cubic ft, 1909-1918. Contains correspondence, deeds of trust, news clippings, and agreements between Douglas and Memorial Hospital. These materials may provide insight into the radium gifts received by Memorial Hospital from Douglas and their stipulations.
Dates
- 1909 - 1918
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Material is stored off site and requires three business days advance notice for retrieval. To inquire about the collection, please contact the MSK Archivist.
Conditions Governing Use
Due to the sensitive nature of some of the content within MSK’s collections, advance permission is needed before citing or reproducing collection content. To inquire about the collection, please contact the MSK Archivist.
Biographical / Historical
Douglas, a scientist and mining engineer, became a proponent of radium therapy in the treatment of cancer after losing his daughter to breast cancer in 1910. In 1913, Douglas established the National Radium Institute to mine radium in the United States. In 1917, Douglas gave his share of radium to Memorial Hospital, stipulating in the deeds of the donation that the hospital serve as a cancer hospital rather than a general hospital and that the hospital pursue the study of radium in cancer treatment.
Extent
0.33 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Custodial History
Received by Corporate Secretary Joyce Stichman from Percy Douglas, from the belongings of his mother, Kay Douglas, about 6 weeks following her death on 23rd September 1996. Transferred by Stichman to Archives in July 1997.
- Title
- James Douglas Papers
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Special Collections and Archives Repository