Milford chronicle., 1958-07-25
Plan Big Assault On
Health Problems
InItIes. sgew Targets VIII Be Arthri-
It's And Birth Defects

scientific assault on major health
problems OF the nation, with arth-
ritis and birth defects as initial
new targets, was announced this
eek by the National Foundation
f.l Infantile Paralysis.
Basil O'Connor, president of the
organization that made possible
the Saik polio vaccine, outlined it's
broad new program of future at
tack on disease and disability al. a
press conference in New York On
Tuesday. July %.
While carrying on the winning
fight against polio, the National
Foundation, as it uow will be
known, will continue its history
making virus research program and
Investigations of disorders of the
central nervous system, and will
add research and patient aid in
arthritis and birth defects ICON
rental mllformations) Mr. O'Con-
cOr said
The expanded program will be
HnanceG through the traditional
March of Dimes conducted each
January by volunteers ih 3,100
county chapters across the country,
Mr. 0'Connor said:
'-ThiN is our concept for the flu
ture: TIE development of an or
ganized voluntary force in the
fields of medical research, patient
care and professional education,
flexible enough to meet new health
problems as they arise, with speci-
fic goals initially.
The heart Of the new program
is research. Research will be ex-
panded from where it is now, with
out the restriction of being con-
fined in the future to a single dis
ease. Professional education also
will be expanded to cover training
of personnel both for research and
patient care in all areas of activi-
ty"
Freedom to follow research clues
wherever they lead will be COM
bined with necessary limitations
on patient aid in the beginning,
Mr.. O'Connor explained.
The limitations result from the
enormity of the patient care prob
lem: AT least IL ,000, 900 persons
have arthritis and rheumatism;
100000 children are born with sig
nificant birth defects each year
(excluding birth injuries) an es-
timated 10000 persons who have
had paralytic polio still will re-
quire some assistance in the years
ahead.
1t is planned to offer patient aid
at first only to arthritis patients
through is years of age and to
children suffering from malforma-
tions of the central nervous sys-
tenn also through age Is, he said.
Some 10000 childhood arthritis |
sufferers can be expected to seek
treatment each year and about g.
600 patients annually have birth |
defects of the central nervous sys-
tenn that are treatablH Among
these conditicas are: spina bifida |
(open spine), encephalocele (open |
skulD and hydrocephalus (water
on the brain)
To shape a broad program in Da-
fient aid In arthritis and birth de- I
fects, much must be learned about
precise numbers of patients, the
number and quality of existing ia
cilities and the availability of
qualified personnel, the National
president said.
Our objective in patient care is
to continue the polio job until It
is finished" he explained. I'VE
have a moral obligation to do this
and the American people expect us
to recognize this responsibility.
We shall begin patient care in
arthritis and birth defects, first.
where 1t will do the most good and,
second, on a scale commensurate
with the public's willingness to fl
vance it,"
While it is not planned initially
to provide patient aid for children
born each year with congen.tally
caused mental retardation, Mr.. o.
Connor said. the research program
of the National Foundation may
offer new hope in prevention and
treatment of this problem.
The new program was adopted
after five years of unprecedented
of areas of need in
the health field and careful SssSss-
ment of the strengths of the Ma
tional Foundation that could be ap-
piled to other problems. Confer
ences were held with medical, civic
and governmental leaders, as well
as Representatives of National
Foundation chapters from all re-
gions of the country.
AS an organized force for medi-
cal research, patient care and pro-
fessional education, we have chos-
en- the broadest program of ALL"
Mr.. .O'Connor concluded. Through
1t, we hope that infantile paralysis
one day may be considered only