Proclamation 5861—National Medical Research Day, 1988

As the 20th century approaches its close, medical researchers are peering ever deeper into the mysteries of living processes. Their investigations and discoveries are yielding a rich harvest of information and insight, suggesting strategies for alleviating countless ailments that afflict or kill millions of our fellow citizens each year. National Medical Research Day, 1988, gives us the opportunity to pause in gratitude for all that American medical research has done through the decades to save lives and preserve health.

The progress made by today's medical researchers is part of a long tradition in American biomedical research. In the past century, researchers have triumphed over such formerly deadly diseases as diphtheria, polio, and tetanus. Furthermore, vaccines and treatments developed in America's biomedical laboratories have helped lead to virtually global elimination of formerly deadly epidemics such as cholera, smallpox, yellow fever, and bubonic plague. Medical research has also resulted in the development of new drugs and surgical procedures and improved understanding of environmental and behavioral components of individual health. These advances have benefited Americans and all humanity.

Such successes occur because of our continuing commitment to such Federal agencies as the National Institutes of Health; the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration; and the Centers for Disease Control, which support studies not only in their own laboratories, but also at universities and research institutions throughout the country; and because of the work of academia, industry, and voluntary organizations. Such cooperation in medical research has led to products that contribute to America's economy and to our Nation's ability to compete successfully in international trade.

The investment of the United States in biomedical research continues, and so does our national commitment to training those who will conduct this research in the years to come.

In recognition of American medical research, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 328, has designated September 14, 1988, as "National Medical Research Day" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this day.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 14, 1988, as National Medical Research Day, and I call upon the people of the United States and Federal, State, and local government officials to observe this day with appropriate events and activities.

In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirteenth.

RONALD REAGAN