Creation National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

mary lasker helped sen. claude pepper present case government national institute cancer, heart disease, , neurological disorders. collected data , found experts.

the national institute of neurological disorders , blindness (nindb), original name ninds, officially established on november 22, 1950, 3 months after president harry truman signed omnibus medical research act (public law 81-692) on august 15, 1950. legislation had been passed efforts of senator claude pepper, responsible helping majority of nih institutes start, wealthy new york entrepreneur mary lasker, , fight sight founder mildred weisenfeld, had retinitis pigmentosa.

nindb not conceived of entirely coherently @ beginning. example, blindness added because concerned citizens raised issue lasker who, in turn asked congressman andrew biemiller in congress. added bill, being sympathetic cause since mother blind.

nindb responsible conducting , supporting research , training in 200 neurological , sensory disorders affected 20 million individuals in united states , first cause of permanent crippling , third cause of death. because etiology of common neurological diseases poorly understood, nindb undertook both clinical , basic research on disorders , on treatments; intramural research on structure of brain , nervous system itself; and, finally, extramural research on entire field of neurology , blindness.

in beginning, nindb had advisory council made of 6 medical professional , lay people, appointed u. s. surgeon general. formulated path taken institute , granted funds. nindb s first annual budget us$1.23 million. came existing nih budget, congress had not appropriated new funds institute when created. although nindb s budget increased $1.99 million in 1952, there still no money new research programs. moreover, institute had neither clinic nor lab. ingrid farreras writes in history, research conducted institute still supported nimh [national institute of mental health] , institute s survival unclear.

the nindb s first director, pearce bailey, appointed on october 3, 1951, , came experience neuropsychiatry division @ philadelphia naval hospital. appointed representative aan meet citizens groups , met generate unified set of demands. result, national committee research in neurological disorders (ncrnd) formed. ncrnd presented coherent research proposal congress , in 1953 nindb received separate line item budget of $4.5 million. institute able fund research. however, until 1961, nindb , nimh shared research facilities , scientists, collaborating on projects.