Was on cancer

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War on cancer , on German war against cancer , was in 1971, an initiative of US President Richard Nixon with the aim of a healing opportunity for the disease within the next 25 years cancer to find.

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Excerpt from the National Cancer Act of 1971

The "War on Cancer" initiative began with Nixon's proposal in his State of the Union Address in January 1971, an additional 100 million US dollars for the budget of the National Cancer Institute (NCI, National Cancer Institute) Institute):

"... I will also ask for an appropriation of an extra $ 100 million to launch an intensive campaign to find a cure for cancer, and I will ask later for whatever additional funds can effectively be used. The time has come in America when the same kind of concentrated effort that split the atom and took man to the moon should be turned toward conquering this dread disease. Let us make a total national commitment to achieve this goal. America has long been the wealthiest nation in the world. Now it is time we became the healthiest nation in the world. ... "
"... I will propose the allocation of an additional $ 100 million to launch an intensive campaign to find a cure for cancer, and I will apply for additional funding however available later. In America the time has come to use the same combined efforts that split the atom and landed humans on the moon to defeat this dreaded disease. Let us make this goal a total national obligation. America has long been the richest nation in the world. It is now time for us to become the healthiest country. ... "

In October of the same year, as part of his initiative, Army's Fort Detrick in Maryland , until then a facility for research into biological weapons , was converted into a cancer research center under the name Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center . On December 23, 1971, Nixon signed the National Cancer Act . In this context, he stated, among other things:

"... I hope in the years ahead we will look back on this action today as the most significant action taken during my administration. ... "
"... I hope that in the years to come we will look back on this act as the most important of my tenure. ... "

The goal formulated in the law was to provide the best possible support for research and the application of the results of research in order to reduce the incidence , morbidity and mortality of cancer ( “... Support research and the application of the results of research, to reduce the incidence, morbidity and mortality from cancer ... " ). The law also did not set a timeframe for achieving the goal of finding a cure for the cancer. This law gave the NCI a special status and extensive financial autonomy within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The total spending on cancer research in the United States since Nixon's declaration is estimated at more than $ 200 billion. In 2003, the goal of finding a cure for cancer was renewed as the “NCI Challenge Goal 2015”. With this vision, the NCI sought to "Eliminate the Suffering and Death Due to Cancer" by 2015.

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