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.