LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 



Dr. Vannevar Bush, Director, 



Office of Scientific Research and Developinent, 



1530 P Street NW., Washington 25, D. C. 



My Dear Dr. Bush: 



It is my privilege to submit herewith the report of the Medical Advisory 

 Committee appointed by you in January of this year to answer the second 

 question in President Roosevelt's letter of November 17, 1944, which was 

 worded : 



With particular reference to the war of science against disease, what can be done 

 now to organize a program for continuing in the future the work which has been done 

 in medicine and related sciences? The fact that the annual deaths in this country from 

 one or two diseases alone are far in excess of the total number of lives lost by us in 

 battle during this war should make us conscious of the duty we owe future generations. 



In preparing this report, the Committee has consulted some 350 repre- 

 sentatives from 73 of the 77 medical schools of the United States, from the 

 Services, from various research institutions, from the pharmaceutical indus- 

 trv, and from philanthropic foundations; it has conferred in joint meeting 

 with the Committee on Medical Research; and it has received written com- 

 ment and advice from many leaders in medicine and allied sciences through- 

 out the country. 



The report, which is preceded by a summarv, is in three parts: (1) Con- 

 siderations on which the recommendations of the Committee are based, (2) 

 fundamental principles governing the use of Federal funds for medical re- 

 search, (3) recommendations outlining the establishment of a National 

 Foundation for Medical Research as an independent Federal agency. 



The Committee recognizes a great and urgent need for the expansion and 

 renovation of medical school laboratories. However, our study has taken no 

 account of this requirement, pertinent as it is to medical research, since a 

 building program was considered outside the scope of our assignment. 



This report has the unanimous approval of mv Committee and I submit 

 it with the conviction that it has, almost without exception, the endorsement 

 of the manv individuals to whom the Committee is so deeplv indebted for 

 freely gi\'en and \aluable ad\ice. 



Respectfully vours, 



Walter W. Palmer, Chairman, 



Medical Advisory Committee. 



April 25, 1945. 



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