In 1975, when I became Director, I think oneof the most prominent defects to be repaired

at the boundary between NIH and society wasthe definition of those very boundaries themselves.

More specifically, we had to find ways againsta barrage of criticism to protect our scientific

programs from regulatory and service obligations,including excessive health promotion exercises

that can be constant threats to the objectivityand the maintenance of the sharpest edge on

our instruments of scientific inquiry.