Why did Marie Curie believe strong radioactive sources were important for scientific research?

Marie Curie believed that accumulating intense radioactive sources was essential for two primary reasons: to provide a necessary supply for research in nuclear physics and to facilitate the treatment of illness.1

She recognized that maintaining a significant stockpile of radioactive material was an unrivaled instrument for scientific advancement, particularly before the development of particle accelerators after 1930. For instance, the collection of radium at the Radium Institute in Paris allowed for the accumulation of substances like radium D and polonium, which proved decisive for experiments conducted in the 1930s. This research was instrumental in paving the way for the discovery of the neutron and the subsequent discovery of artificial radioactivity by Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie.1