Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 101 Part 1.djvu/828

 101 STAT. 798

PUBLIC LAW 100-126—OCT. 8, 1987

Public Law 100-126 100th Congress

"' Joint Resolution

Oct. 8, 1987 [S.J. Res. 142]

To designate the day of October 1, 1987, as "National Medical Research Day".

Whereas America's medical research enterprise has been, and will continue to be, the acknowledged world leader in promoting health and preventing disease and disability; Whereas medical research (defined for purposes of this Joint Resolution as biomedical and behavioral research) continuously contributes to the discovery of new knowledge that will lead to the improved health and well-being of Americans and of all humankind; Whereas America's medical research enterprise continues to pioneer breakthroughs in the detection and treatment of diseases and promote the widespread application of these methods and technologies to medical practice; Whereas medical research has significantly contributed to bringing America's death rate to an all-time low and its life expectancy rates to all-time highs; Whereas America's medical research enterprise has contributed enormously to the control and virtual worldwide eradication of epidemic diseases such as cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, and bubonic plague, and the prevention in this country of childhood diseases such as diptheria, polio, tetanus, and pertussis; Whereas medical research has successfully produced effective vaccines now widely used to combat measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis, pneumonia, influenza, rabies, upper respiratory diseases, and hepatitis B; Whereas America's financial investment in medical research has consistently been rewarded with positive returns as measured by reduced morbidity, and improved individual productivity and health status; Whereas the products and by-products of medical research contribute significantly to the health of America's overall economy and its ability to compete successfully in international commerce and trade; Whereas medical research in this country has fostered a productive and ongoing positive public and private sector partnership among government, academia, industry, and voluntary organizations in the pursuit of research excellence and discovery; Whereas the Congress of the United States has consistently demonstrated a Federal financial commitment to maintaining America's preeminence in medical research through support of such agencies as the National Institutes of Health, the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Veterans' Administration; Whereas the Congress and President of the United States have formally recognized 100 years of Federal support for medical research through resolution and proclamation commemorating

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