Challenges from Nature 



Recent history records a succession of advances against threats 

 from the natural environment — disease, famine, the elements — yet 

 many threats remain. Major battles against disease have been won 

 since the turn of the century. Many infectious diseases have yielded to 

 immunizations, to antibiotics, and to public sanitation. Typhoid fever, 

 diphtheria, tuberculosis, and scarlet fever are largely controlled, while 

 other diseases such as osteomyelitis and mastoiditis seldom occur in 

 this country today. As recently as 1950 more than 20,000 cases of 

 poliomyelitis were reported annually in the United States, but 15 years 

 later the incidence had fallen to nearly zero. 



There remain, however, numerous diseases and disabilities which 

 take their toll. Among these are major killers such as cancer and heart 

 diseases; serious disabilities such as arthritis, asthma, and diabetes; 

 and many less prevalent or less serious mental and physical afflictions. 

 Present scientific knowledge provides, at best, means for "managing" 

 these afflictions and diseases, rather than for preventing or curing 

 them. The inherently high cost of such management — the expense for 

 the patient and the heavy claims on the often restricted resources of 

 the health system — prevents even this limited health care from being 

 available to all who need it. A prerequisite for prevention and cure is 

 better understanding of the fundamental biological processes 

 involved. Such knowledge is the basis — the only basis — for advancing 

 beyond mere management to prevention and cure. 



The reduction of "premature" deaths from disease has been 

 largely responsible for the lengthened life expectancy in the United 

 States — up from just under 50 years at the beginning of this century to 

 almost 70 years by midcentury. The life expectancy of persons over 50, 

 however, increased only marginally during the period with the 

 greatest gains occurring for women. This illustrates why challenges 

 remain in spite of past progress: as infant and adolescent mortality was 

 reduced, adult diseases took a greater proportionate toll. 



Significant advances have been made against famine and 

 malnutrition, based in large part on increasing knowledge of 

 agricultural and animal science, plant genetics, fertilizer, insect 

 control, and food processing. But total success has not been achieved in 

 spite of sustained advances in agricultural production. These gains 

 have been offset by the rapid growth in human population (an increase 

 abetted by the success in suppressing human diseases), by adverse 

 climate and weather conditions in certain parts of the world such as 

 the sub-Sahara region, and by several factors which inhibit equitable 

 distribution and optimal consumption of foods. Furthermore, 

 advances in food production have been achieved at considerable cost: 

 the extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides has damaged the 



