Previous | Next
Part: 12 Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536 Page 341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387 of 1143
tested and 10 were shown to have permanent cure of mouse and rat cancers, of transplanted tumors. This was the beginning, really, of the chemotherapy program of the National Cancer Institute, which is now a very important and large-scale effort: to find drugs against various kinds of cancer.
Another of the pay-offs was in the field of blindness as a result of the appropriations made by Congress to the Neurological Diseases and Blindness Institute because the cause of retrolental fibroplasia has been found. It was found that oxygen administered to premature infants was, in fact, the cause of this major sight killer. Thousands of unborn children who would have been doomed to blindness next year and every year thereafter have been granted their sight because of this discovery, that too much oxygen was being given to premature babies, which had been made with the support of funds from this Institute. The work was done by various groups simultaneously and confirmed by all of them, so that it's now known, presumably throughout the nation, that it shouldn't be done.
All this must be very gratifying.
Well, it would be very gratifying if we had a big break in cancer; we've had three small breaks in the cancer field which I'll tell about later because I think it's out of sequence now. And I think we've had a break in the arteriosclerosis field, too,
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help