Part: 12         Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536         Page 126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151 of 1143

to the Medal of Merit Board. The smell of the stench of the hospital wards in the First World War was one of the most horrible things I can remember, and penicillin has changed all that.”

Well, the truth was that Florey and Fleming received the Medal of Merit; it was given to them by Lou Douglas, our Ambassador to London, sometime during that year, I think.

That must have helped in its own way to dramatize the whole subject.

Well, you know, actually, it got no publicity in the United States, none at all, and I knew only later by chance that it had been done. I hope it gave Florey and Fleming a little satisfaction. Actually, I think we should have included Chain in the request, as part of the group.

I say this only because it was part of what we went to see the President about.

Well, later on there was another health message, somewhat later on, and the custom of messages on health was continued by Eisenhower, and he delivered a health message to nearly every session of Congress. And the fact that the Republicans felt that it was necessary to send up health messages made them have to think about the health budget, which, by this time, was growing, and it altogether became a very salutary thing, because they