Talk - Kiwanis Club, Pasadena. Sept. 20, 1945.

The Future of Scientific and Medical Research

By Linus Pauling

Introduction. Story "My Aunt's Pay", in connection with the jargon of science.

There are great days for science. Radar, penicillin, multitude of other war-time developments, culminating in the atomic bomb.

The country is keenly aware of the future of science. Bush report. Magnuson and Kilgore bills.

We have used up the backlog of fundamental scientific discoveries. The only way to build it up is to support individual scientists, as well as teams doing the application.

I shall take 2 examples - nuclear research, and medical research. All fundamental discoveries for the atomic bomb were made before the war. It is essential that more be made, and that the scientific knowledge be no longer secret (as distinct from the military).

Medical research moves slowly along. We have been spending perhaps $5000000/yr. on med. res. - CMR also spend 15000000 during war. Result - 20 yr. increase in life expectancy; scarlet fever down 92% in 20 years, measles down 91%, whooping cough down 74%; even osteomyelitis and now bacterial endocarditis are responding to penicillin, and tuberculosis to streptomycin!

But the degenerative diseases still resist. 45% of deaths now due to cardiovascular renal disease, 2nd infections, 3rd cancer - and we now spend 21 cents per death on research on hearts, arteries, kidneys, and $2.00 per death on research on cancer, as compared with $500 per death on research on infantile paralysis!

We need more medical research! We need it especially in this region - where very little is done, the practitioners not having contact with research men, and where there are great opportunities - medical school, scientific school, clinical materials.