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However, it was not influential with Basil O'Conner, who never urged any Federal funds, except when he wanted a large amount of money for polio vaccine.
That was a drastic change in policy, wasn't it?
Yes.
As a result of the support that the National Cancer Institute got from the Cancer Society, it has got more funds and now still has more funds than any other Institute, as of, for instance, in 1954 the total funds for that year were 20 million, of which five million was for intramural research, 7.3 million was for project grants-in-aid, and 750 thousand for research fellowships. As of fiscal 1963, the figure is around 145 million for the National Cancer Institute, including everything, and for chemotherapy or contract grants alone we have over 35 million dollars.
Well, Mrs. Lasker, the very nature of the disease has something to do also with the scope of the funds, doesn't it?
It's the number-two cause of death, but it causes only 260,000 deaths as compared with over 900,000 deaths from cardiovascular diseases.
But, I mean, the suffering with the cancer victim is so compelling that...
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