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The Federal Government Looks at Medical Research¹

The Federal government must look at medical research from at least three viewpoints—as a "consumer" of medical research, as a "producer" of medical research and as a "source of support" for medical research.

In each role the Federal government faces an array of policy problems that are not fully resolved. As a "consumer" of medical research, for example, the Federal government purchases under contract some findings that must be kept secret in the interest of National security. I need not elaborate on the basic conflict between secrecy of research and scientific progress.

As a "producer" of medical research, the Federal government faces another set of problems. The perennial difficulties of reconciling Civil Service regulations designed for the standard administrative structure of Federal agencies to the special needs of research organizations have not been resolved. However, substantial progress was begun on this problem during the last session of Congress when the new Civil Service Classification Act was passed.

¹ Presidential Address at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine, Memphis, ennessee, November 8, 1949.

² Associate Director, National Institutes of Health.