Douglas was dedicated to investigating the effects of radiation on cancer following the treatment of his daughter in England. In 1911, to devise a method to more cheaply produce radium, he directed the Phelps Dodge research lab under chemist George Van Arsdale to experiment with various processes to extract radium from carnotite. Douglas and Dr. Howard Kelly, a Baltimore, Maryland gynecologist and philanthropist, joined forces to supply radium in the US. In partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, they formed the National Radium Institute.
