Douglas wanted advice and information to be provided to all people with cancer, homes for patients at low or no cost, and voluntary nurses to attend to patients in their own homes.
Today much of Douglas' legacy lives on. We are still a source of support for people living with cancer today and we are a force for improving cancer care.
Macmillan milestones
1911
Douglas Macmillan establishes the 'Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer', providing information on recognising, preventing and treating cancer to patients, doctors and members of the public.
1924
We become a Benevolent Society and change our name to 'National Society for Cancer Relief', providing practical help to patients and their families.
1930
The first paid member of staff is appointed.
1934
The first local Committee is formed in Bath.
1969
We begin to support in-patient care, making our first contributions towards building hospices.
1975
We fund our first Macmillan nurses.
We build and equip the first Macmillan cancer care unit.
1978
We appoint our 10th Macmillan nurse.
1980
We invest £2.5 million to expand Macmillan nursing teams throughout the UK.
We launch an educational programme to train doctors, nurses and students in advanced pain control and cancer care.
1986
We fund the first Macmillan doctor.
1989
We change our name to 'Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund'.
1991
We launch the Macmillan Nurse Appeal to raise £20 million.
1993
Our 1,000th Macmillan nurse is appointed.
1994
We pioneer '10 minimum standards of care' as part of a nationwide campaign about breast cancer.
1995
We develop the first Directory of Breast Cancer Services in the UK, distributing it to GPs.
1996
We develop six 'minimum standards' for a gynaecological cancer campaign.
1997
We change our name to 'Macmillan Cancer Relief'.
Our Information Line opens in December.
1998
We open our new Macmillan National Institute of Education (MNIE), with 10 lecturers for training specialist cancer care professionals.
The Information Line helps more than 11,000 people during its first year of operation.
1999
Macmillan launches 'a voice for life' to give people with cancer the chance to have their voices heard.
Macmillan successfully lobbies The Oxford English Dictionary to change its inaccurate definition of cancer.
2000
We fund our 2,000th Macmillan nurse.
2001
Macmillan merges with Cancerlink, a national charity providing support to people affected by cancer, particularly those in cancer self help and support groups.
Our first Mobile Macmillan Cancer Information Centre visits 51 sites across England, bringing information and support to more people than ever before.
We finish our 100th building project, a day centre at Craigavon in Northern Ireland.
2002
Our Macmillan CancerLine is launched, integrating the existing Macmillan Information Line and Cancerlink's information services.
2003
We implement our social care strategy, focusing on supporting carers and helping people financially.
2004
We launch our biggest ever campaign, A Better Deal, which calls for a better financial deal for people dealing with cancer.
We launch the Macmillan Benefits Helpline, offering advice by telephone for people with cancer across the UK who need help to access benefits and other kinds of financial support.
2005
The number of Macmillan health professionals rises to more than 3,500 and includes nurses, doctors, radiographers, dietitians, occupational therapists and many other specialisms to provide more integrated care to people with cancer.
2006
We change our name to Macmillan Cancer Support to help people better understand what we do.