It is ,lesirabie, I think, at the siltset of an:: cx,siierutic?n

of policies, to exa,dne We role ol the 9.2. an3 the sTecia1 qJsiifi-

md aiJplication of new knowledge in tb m;iical sciences. .?hst ca~i

WB do that no one else can do? Swat qualities has the A.F. vLi2h

P

a3 not characteristic ~f govemmnts, yrivate uni-ers iti59, na-ional

societies, or individual philanthropists? Ykat mory, xr ;;_t;al.ificat-

ions are likely to 'E useful ad t?.e-mfore givs ;zs a% lesst Cy% 7;s-

sibility of Wiag a contri3ution th5t zay b both vali~&& s.12 unicLm?

?'h? intrinsic ad essentid. qualifications of tlie H.7. m:

first, that it disposes of 1ar;e sm of norey w'tich ecn !e kcth

rapidly and eerteizilg mobilimcl or Ciizxcted; se cordly, t2ie oxp?**,itiirc

of its raonsy is virtually 'adar tile contAm2 of fechniral a2oiser; '1x3

adqlnistrators who are abis to trawl arywhere aad aiio, thank  50 a

nuraber of reascns,ara practically assured now of favora5le  and

intelli~ent coopration in my mrt of the world; thirdly, -Lhe

Foundation has a policy which is neither inflexible nor obiicatory

for an indefinite period of tima. The only stricture is in effect

extremly broad one since the Folicy of the 8.F. at a~y Cimn ti::e

is really an interpretation of an extremly broad and su2ple yTincip7.e

(ia.e. welfare mankind throughout th3 world). These, the:, ssem to

m to be the essential characteristics of the R.F.

wQOp,& cmqaring tb R.3'. with ether orgaLizatiocs one is

hmdiately aware of tb fact that the SUII of noney at, %:,le comnnd

of tb R.T., although somtims as large or larger than Pads okltalri-

able from governrents for a certain object, a= in fact subjacted 39

a more intelligent axmination aid a control that is lees ;artism or

regional in sym;/sthj than is %he case *ritB the mney spent by bagis-

ltitures in most govern-mnts in tiie warid. For exm~b, su2posin;; that

tbre is a question of support fron a certzin Qovernment for zd.aria

czntrol, it is unlikely that tile lesisiators are as vel1 irfo,--,?tjd as

the board of scientific directors oP the 1.iI.D. a;id it is sirniiar1;r

unlikely that any spcial cormlittee appointed by a lsgislature will

have control over large s'um of money with the sane freedom as that

which exists in the 3.F. To make another coxparison the 2.F. possessas

greater elasticity in cfianginc its policy than does a mimrsity c;r

a spcial institution since universities or sscial institutes are

us\;ally conf iwd by 2,re-detemined obligatims and definitions  of

their perrranent azd spcial Iaserests. If orie ccc+ares t!s 2.3'.

with the activities of an individual millionnaire 31" phiicnth-osfst

one is inclined to believe that the advantag+ pssessed b;r the 3.2.

liss ir? the fact that it8 activities cm be nme sustaired, kttzr

balanced and more thorou&ly reasoned md advised tr!man woi~ld 1%  like-

ly to be tbe case with an individual donor. It wxli! be admisted by

many also that the present position .and pmt history of tb 2.3'. is a

distinct advantage in coLsarison to the pusition that Irig;ht be occu;)isd

by any individEal new-comr in ous fields cjf activity, ?e r?i%ps the

closest malogue to the 32. is 8 national society or or:*xiization

such as the National Research Council, tke I,aise~-Wil?sIr?- G-es?ll-schaft,

etc., b~t hem a definite advantqe fs possessed by ??i3 2.F. in the

fact that its interests ad its work are not 1iaited tc GI:,- nabiozal

bourldarie so

Xe relation of the Fomdatioi tc tks reci;>ie;;fus of !.is

gifts, though not w-iqa, is r*evertiseless c5sractarized h:i certain

features which are worth keeping ir mind, Tirst, it is csrtain that

there is no other orsanization in the world with as wide iis1 sxpriexe

of piblic health w3rk an3 iwdical ecucatian. Th singular feat:n% of

tkis ex2erience  is that a reLat.ively smli gmuy sf ?:lea has n faniliss-

ity with a wry wide and 77ar:Tirig ranee of ccnditions and tendencies,

Psrkia2s also it mi@t lae said that it is not -&rely the accwlGlation

of information but also adoinistrati-m experience ir, &al.iAx nit'l

rzcy of the qarre1s and questions @ich in diFf5m:it of We wrld

are somtimes submitted to us for opinion. Thirdly, I SCE Seen

impressed by the fact that occasionally aid froa the 3oim3atior_, emn

if it be very silia3l in arraunt, gives &%at mral sq=:ort six= it

implies the approval of an hpartial and experiericad cxtsi6e o:Al?jQ^,.

Iii fomth place, the positior, of the Fouridation is so corcpl&tely in-

dependent tkt it is gossible for it to ai6 in3ivihxds .zmd at. the saxe

tima decline requests fmn: otber people apparently in a sixilsr 23s-

ition - a course of action often hpospi2h far a ~avamxent,  2

ministry, a national society or a university.

3evertiqG 20 tl-s intrimic qual ificatiocs of the Yoc-Ldct ion

it seems to lnaa that it would be wise for us to take si?viirta,E o? tkss

qudificatiocs which are miqm - in a word to plqr our lent s~ljfs.

These enable us to consider undertakings which are xw; whicl. are 1a1-i~;

which mquire tecbical advice and intelligsnt sdxiiiiatration;  which

are bemfittea by the exmrience cleaned from rag iands;  wiiich do mt

comit or ia~~lw the Zoundation fo~ m indofinite priod of time It

would seem to rn to 3e logical to adopt tomrd 01x program +Uke attitG6e

om must have towards en expsi4?snt - namlly, careful plamiir,g in

advance; comas to take som3 risks; the decision to follm with peat

care and hones-t;y the evidence povided by tbe esperirent; md the

ex-plicit understmdins that in riaking scch an expriisnt,  definite cin6

clear-cut provision mst be mde for its icemdnstion.

I haw statsd these spciai :wil.ifications cf rhe Fomfiabi~~

since to fail to Sear t'rmi in rnii-i.6 ~aalC ?x to ex3os3 mrselves to

drifting int3 ths scceptanoe af innumrable denads which zo~ld 5mt

as well mt by govsmwmts, universities, mtiond. societies, s:xcial

institutes or private individuals, It seems to re that the cktarae",sr-

istics of tb FounGation fit it therefore for activat.ing ad EiTring

initid. stlGport to deVi!lopmr;ts that give reason fcr us to sx2ect that

t5ey will later be self-re Wlating, self-sgpgorting snA of continus4

value. ?% can mdertake experimnts on a scale larppr thn can us-mlly

be afforded. `t% can eo-ordinate md -xrvs?<e affect ad eqerience ic

way parts of tile world of mutually usef.2 fiel3.s of actlirity,  w-d

thana to our charter we can a7roid a pmisn% izx:otrilfzatim ct' 31~

~SQILTC~S or fixation of policy in any 3ne field.

Xow, t'ne defects of 3iese qualities, eslmciallg prhaps fm

Amricans, 88813: to rm to be the teiuptation to exrJand cur field Df

effort too ~rent3.y; to undertake certain eiiterpises without sufSi:ient

stady am3 reflection; to be too readlly off with tk old Sam on

with a n.w; to assu2.3 initial respnsibilitiss in a tentative :>maax

withut clear-cut ideas as to horn it is to end aid when or 1108 mr

obligations are to teminate; and lastly, `to ?EI 30 occupied with tke

study and consiieration of new wdect&iiip thet cur observafion of

curmnt program is inaccu=.a+t. or inadequate. Freedos to tal>= up

new activities means nothing i:mm than dansr unless rn t&e tim to

study and reflect upon then. TZia power cc~fsrred b;~ a large incom

mans nothing good uraless a prolmrtionate a-.iomt ar,d qualit:; of tho1i:kt

is pc;ssible, Eow, presstlm of correspmd..emx, of smdl details, of

many visitors and, EO% least, of freqmrit, field trips in wkich s?.:xsi;

eve= xinute is taken, reduces to a vsry peat extsnt the o~~~crtunitiou

for solid mading., caref'ul discussion and roasoned mf1ectio:i upm ??e

validjty and useftllness of our activitiss, and their a3a;)tatiori to %':e

various conditiozis FB i~~et~ Seven years experience has promd to 3-e

that WB are constantly in danger of beiw in the thick of thin thines ..

thin not in mount but in quality and sisificancs.