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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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Part:         Session:         Page of 999

Q:

Will you do that? Because it seems to me that that would help in your campaign, you know, to reduce high blood pressure if this drug was effective and wasn't so dangerous to take.

Lasker:

Yes, wasn't disagreeable to take. Well, I'll ask him. I'll ask him. He's going to be on that committee, by the way.

Q:

Now, Mrs. Brewer also lists the item on arthritis and says you're interested in the Pepper bill.

Lasker:

I am. Pepper got a bill passed in 1950 for arthritis and digestive diseases, endocrinology and diabetes. We decided there was too much division of attention in our institute and that there should be just an arthritis effort with a larger sum of money voted to arthritis (arthritis has only got about ten percent of the appropriation, not even that I think) and that the other diseases were very important and that they should have an independent institute. Diabetes and digestive diseases are widespread, and endocrinology needs to have more known about it, and we thought we wouldn't try for two new institutes the same year, but there was a great deal of hostility in the Public Health Service (which there always is, towards any new institute at all). That would mean that there would have to be spent two or three or five million dollars just to run the institute -- they say.

Q:

You mean in personnel and all the rest of it.





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