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Vaccines and therapies to deal with tropical diseases were also critically
important to the war effort. At the NIH's Rocky Mountain Laboratory in
Hamilton, Montana, yellow fever and typhus vaccines were prepared for
military forces. In Bethesda--as well as through grants to investigators
at universities--a synthetic substitute for quinine was sought to treat
malaria. The Division of Biologics investigated the fever-producing properties
of bacteria which might appear as contaminants of plasma, serum albumin,
or whole blood, and developed sampling techniques to avoid contamination.
Research in the Division of Chemotherapy revealed that sodium deficiency
was the critical element leading to death after burns or traumatic shock.
This led to the widespread use of oral saline therapy as a first-aid measure
on the battlefield. NIH and military physiologists collaborated on research
into problems related to high altitude flying. They determined the altitude
at which oxygen had to be administered to prevent pilots from blacking
out and designed an apparatus to supply extra oxygen efficiently. They
also studied the relation of pressure changes to bubble formation in liquids
to address the problem of emboli forming in the blood of pilots. Other
tests were made to evaluate the efficiency of flight clothing, especially
electrically heated suits, and to determine the effect of altitude on
visual acuity and the use of visual devices for improvement of night vision.
As the war drew to a close, PHS leaders guided through Congress the
1944 Public Health Service Act, which defined the shape of medical research
in the post-war world. Two provisions in particular proved key for NIH.
First, in 1946 the successful grants program of the NCI was expanded to
the entire NIH. From just over $4 million in 1947, the program grew to
more than $100 million in 1957, $1 billion in 1974. The entire NIH budget
expanded from $8 million in 1947 to more than $1 billion in 1966. Between
1955 and 1968, NIH Director James A. Shannon presided over the spectacular
growth that is now fondly remembered as "the golden years" of
NIH expansion.
Back To Top | Photography
Credits
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WWII Oxygen / communications mask. |
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Dr. James A. Shannon, NIH Director,
1955 - 1968, receiving the Distinguished Federal Civilian Service
Award from President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966. |
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Dr. James A. Shannon
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