Part: 12         Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536         Page 182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212 of 1143

And when I found that there was no effort whatever being made by the Federal Government in this major cause of death--almost 50 percent of the people were dying of this, and it was just considered the will of God, which God knows it was not and is not--I was furious, as usual.

I considered various means of how to attract attention to this deficit. In '47, between '46 and '47, I spent some time with my husband in, Florida, and then I went to Washington and spoke to Senator Pepper about the need for a heart research bill similar to the cancer research bill which had been passed in 1936 but which, as I explained, didn't have any money at all, not more than 500,000 dollars until fiscal '46.

Pepper said he would be glad to introduce a bill for heart research and asked me what I had in mind, and then I stopped in Cincinnati on the way to California to visit Mrs. Brody. I remember it was the 8th of February, 1947. I mailed a draft of the bill very similar to the cancer research bill, providing for a hundred million dollars to be set aside in a fund, to be available until spent; for a group of experts drawn from all over the world to be brought together in one place or a number of places; and provided with funds to make extensive research in the field of heart diseases and circulation.

Mrs. Lasker, as you did this and prepared this, did you consult with any medical people on the feasibility?