Document VJLB6Gnx3Y08jxoDG8zq4y5MZ

The Kettering Laboratory of Applied Physiology, In its present fora, me founded in 1330# a gift of #130,00%00 haring been made about a year before to the University by the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation, the Frigtdalre Division of the General Motors Corporation, and E. 1, duFont de Honours and Colony, ai t Joint contribution. Actually, work on the toxicity and behavior of various ehsteal compounds projected for use In industry and for general distribution, had been carried out by jayself and a few associates In the Department of Physiology since I325, This work had assumed such proportions as to require greatly increased facilities in pace and equipment. When the industrial groups who had interested themselves in It were Informed of this situation, they agreed to provi&e^the funds nocese&ry to provide a building and equipment, which would be adequate for immediate needs and for an anticipated expansion of ( the work. In view of the practical, m well ae the ! scientific importance of the problems under study,'- It was under-* stood that these corporations would provide funds for the maintenance of the Investigative work, but It was agreed that they were under no obligation to do so, and would discontinue their contributions at any time they should choose to do so. Such contribution as they night sake, however, in the form of building and equipment, or for the purchase of further equipment and supplies?was to become, outright, the property of the University of Cincinnati, without any quid pro quo except-to the extent that the work of the laboratory, planned and carried out by the staff of the laboratory (i.e, the University), and published through the usual eclentifle channels, eight be re garded as a useful product worthy of further development. {The problems involved being of considerable significance in relation to public as veil as industrial health, productive investigation would, of course, be useful and valuable in the formulation of the operating programs and policies of these corporations.) It was also believed that other industrial organisations would bring some of their problems and troubles to. 'the laboratory, and that the develop ment of a judicious policy with respect to the nature of the work accepted and the methods of handling such work, would result in adequate and perhaps expanding financial support. This belief has been justified in that setae twenty-odd industrial groups have made significant contributions to the support of the laboratory* and its ^-annual budget has steadily increased, '-from 532*000.00 in 1930 to *105,000*00 in 19**0. Meanwhile a careful choice of experimental projects Ms been made, on the primary basis of the medical or hygienic significance of the problems presented, and secondarily, of course, in accordance with the more or less specialized Interests and skill of the laboratory staff. The budget la made up annually after conference of the Director (of the Laboratory) with contributors to the budget of the previous year, or with any additional groups or persons who are interested in the work, The general nature of the work' on. long time projects Ms been planned in advened, and the probable cost has been estimated, somewhat on the high side. Any new projects are aub_ aitted to the Board of Director a of the University for approval or rejection, with a complete statement of the potentialities of the work, scientifically, hygienically amt financially, in m far as these potentialities can he foreseen. Additions to the staff are cade cautiously la relation to any new project or the expansion of old ones, and are believed to be Justified only if a reasonable asi of continued and adequate compensation can bpy'given the candidate i a position. The major function of the laboratory Is the study of occupational diseases and intoxications, isdth particular emphasis on the toxicity and mode of action of materials handled or manufactured by industrial workers, or distributed for use in the community. This phase of applied physiology is developed, where feasible, into a study aeStiumlesa of a general type. As A on example, m arc systematically working on certain phases of the mineral metabolism, since for practical purposes m cannot to understand the nature of heavy metal poisoning without such in formation, but also because, in our opinion, there is no more inter esting physiological problem than the role of minerals in the animal } organism. Gur work also .. embraces field studies of environmental conditions and groups of people, so as to render hygienic service to industry, and the community at large, as well m to correlate experi mental and clinical data. In an admin'strative sense, the Laboratory is, in effect, an Independent department of the Medical School, It is, however, & branch or sub-department of the Physiology Department, its autonomy being a matter of agreement between the Dean of the Medical College, the Head of the Physiology Department, and the Director of the Laboratory, For several years, I and certain of lay associates gave one unit of the laboratory course in Medical -4- physiology* using the space and equipment of the laboratory for that purpose. This was discontinued for reasons unrelated to organisation* and may be resumed at any time* thereby turning any and all of our facilities into the teaching of physiology. We talcs occasional graduate students* One man took his Ph.D. in Physiology last year* we collaborate with other colleagues in the Medical School as does any other Department* but on a purely voluntary basis* In our field of medical work* we are regarded as specialists^in & sense* and consequently the physicians on our staff see (but are not responsible for the car of) patients in the General Hospital* and the laboratory staff carry out special diag nostic procedures for which we are specially equipped* These are done, needless to say* without cost to the Hospital or to the City of Cincinnati* We cannot avoid seeing patients at jsthcr hospitals* s nor can we altogether neglect the performance of dtagnositio work for which there are no other local facilities* We limit those* so far as possible* to such as will be in keeping with our experimental interests* but we cannot wholly ignore special calls upon our pro fessional services* For example* I see or am consulted about most ' of the cases of lead poisoning in this section of the country* and unhappily* many at distances considerably removed frm Cincinnati* The members of the staff of the laboratory ' are apjwlnted by the usual mechanisms of the University* and most of them for full-time service* Two physicians who have other professional responsibilities are on part-time* as are two medical students. All are salaried research workers, with formal vmk In the University* There are no fellowships available in the Laboratory since we accept no work of any kind for which the Director and the staff do not take full professional and scientific responsibility* T and since we engage only in medical and hygienic Investigations, all the work is under the direct supervision of medioal men. Our organisation, therefore, has no resemblance to that of the Mellon Institute* Candor compels me to say that the laboratory was founded in this Medical School because the work out of which the laboratory grew was brought to me la the first Instance* and since I had no intention of severing my connections with the College* it remained here, I became Interested in the problem of heavy metal ' poisoning as a student and continued my Interest as Assistant Pro- ' feasor of Physiology from 1521 on, and when the predecessor of the 3thyl Gasoline Corporation, then in B&yton, Ohio, found Itself In difficulties It came to me, partly as physician and partly as In vestigator, to help It out, I have never considered the possibility V o? medical investigation except in a University Medical School, / partly by reason of sy deliberate choice of medical teaching and research as a profession, and partly because. In my opinion, the kind of work I and ay associates are doing must be done in a publicly responsible institution which maintains complete freedom from even the suspicion of bias,which;rightly or wrongly, is often associated with privately sponsored research. I am Quite sure, for example, that our work would not have received its present acceptance, even after some considerable test of time, if I had not maintained it in name and in in fact aa a university function. There is, moreover, no question that we have profited greatly as a group from the critical and cooperative collaboration of our colleagues, as well as from the extensive clinical contacts which arc so readily maintained in a t 6-- -- teaching hospital centos** Our work involves clinics! judgment and experience, as well as the techniques of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, bacteriology and pathology* Our laboratory is in fact an institute of experimental medicine. It is difficult to see how we could carry on adequately in any other than a university medical center* Ho doubt eventually we shall have an endowment fund sufficient to maintain the nucleus of our work In security* I am quite certain that some such endowment could have been obtained some time ago* I have not pushed the matter, partly for the reason that we have had no difficulty in obtaining funds to support our work, and partly because, under present circumstances, annual and lump contributions from time to time are more certain than the Income from endowmenta. Moreover, there Is a certain stimulating effect on the productivity of the entire staff, in the realisation that the wont must make its own way, on the basis of its utility as well as its quality. This point need not.be labored, and indeed this condition might bo regarded as one which would result in the -promotion of- hack-work of an-immediately practical type rather than sound fundamental information, nevertheless, while the presentstatus of industrial toxicology imposes the duty of obtaining clinically and hygienically useful date, there is also an oppor tunity for developing basic physiologic concepts* ,