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January 7, 1960

The Honorable John E. Fogarty
200 Custom House Building
Providence 3, R.I.

Dear Congressman Fogarty:

I want to congratulate you on your continued and successful
efforts on behalf of the worthy projects in medical research, which recently
received such favorable newspaper publicity.

I was particularly interested to note that an additional sum
of more than three hundred thousand dollars was allocated for the project re-
lating tocausal and preventive factors in Cerebral Palsy.

As a physician and also as a tax payer, I believe that the
public has a right to question what has been accomplished with the large sums
of money that have been allocated for this project. From my limited knowledge
of the utilization of such funds in the state of Rhode Island, it is my impression
that not one single thing has been accomplished over the course of the past few
years, other than to provide employment for a few individuals who use the salaries
obtained from the project to carry out any personal programs that they may have.

 

During the past few years, I have written to inquire regarding
the accomplishments of the supposed research program, and also to suggest
specific and concrete projects that would be useful in meeting the aims outlined
in the original grants. In your courteous replies, you have always referred me
to the Director of the project, following which nothing further was heard (or done).

As an extension of your very worthy efforts in obtaining funds
for these purposes, I assume that you must have some general knowledge of the
nature of distribution of funds, and the results accomplished by use of the funds.

I challenge you, therefore, Congressman Fogarty, to inform
me of any research accomplishments made with the expenditure ofthe money
available under the current program for Cerebral Palsy research, I challenge
you to name a single scientific paper which has resulted from research under the
program, or to cite a single piece of new information that has been accumulated
under the work of the program, or to describe to me any useful endeavors that are
now going on by members of the project.
~2-

It is one thing to state at the outset, that ''some time will be
required for organization" and coordination of the work. This is understandable
in any undertaking and particularly in one so large and widespread as the Cerebral
Palsy project. But, years have gone by, not days or months, and with some
personal knowledge and interest in this particular field, I believe that some results
should be at hand by now. In the daily newspapers we hear much of the matter of
"feather-bedding", "make-work projects", and the general problem of squandering
of public funds. All of this, of course, is related to projects outside of the field
of medical research.

However, I see no difference between medical research projects
and other Government-sponsored projects, and I would not be surprised if some
day soon, interest and investigation might not be directed to the matter of dis-
bursement of large amounts of public monies in worthless, poorly constructed,
badly directed and totally unyielding research programs in medicine.

It is one thing to work energetically to obtain from a reluctant
Congress or public, the contribution of funds which are so necessary for worth-
while medical research. But, if such programs are to remain acceptable to the
American public, then we are entitled to know the nature of the disbursement of
our research dollars, and the results accomplished by use of those dollars. I
think that the public at large is now educated enough so that they cannot readily
be fo@led by such platitudes as are sometimes offered to the effect that "it takes
time" and that "medical research is slow", and that "medical research cannot be
rushed",

I should appreciate learning your views in this matter.

Sincerely yours,

 

MLS:t : ~ “ ‘Maurice L. Silver, M.D.