Ronald Reagan

“ The National Institutes of Health, which began as a one-room laboratory at the Marine Hospital on Staten Island in 1887, has become the world's foremost biomedical research center. Its investigators are at the forefront of discoveries that contribute to better health for mankind. ”

“ The National Institutes of Health provides ongoing leadership in a unique relationship among government, academia, industry, and voluntary organizations. In addition to conducting investigations in its own laboratories, the NIH supports the activities of non-Federal scientists in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and other public, private, and voluntary research institutions. It plays a crucial role in training our Nation's biomedical research scientists and fosters biomedical communication throughout our country and abroad. ”

“ The NIH facilitates international assemblies of scientists and promotes the exchange of scientists and scientific information between the United States and other countries.
The efforts of biomedical scientists have contributed to bringing our Nation's death rate to an all-time low. Survival rates have improved for patients with seven of the ten major forms of cancer. The death rate for cardiovascular diseases has declined more rapidly than has that for all other causes of death combined. ”