Dr. Jonathan Hartwell in his laboratory. Courtesy of NCI. 1950.
NIH Building 6, the first home of the National Cancer Institute.
Courtesy of NCI. 1955. Creation of CCNSC The National Advisory
Cancer Council convened in December 1952 to discuss problems
related to the chemotherapy of cancer and respond to this
question: Is the area of chemotherapy sufficiently promising
scientifically at this time to warrant an attempt to obtain
funds for its expansion? The Council concluded that the state of
knowledge was inadequate to justify creating a program in cancer
chemotherapeutic discovery. But in 1955, Congress approved the
creation of the Cancer Chemotherapy National Service Center
(CCNSC) and provided $5 million, of which $4.2 million was
earmarked for cancer research grants. Additionally, $800,000 was
set aside for acquiring test compounds and evaluating them as
possible anticancer therapeutic agents. Consequently, four
screening centers were set up and operated through the CCNSC.1
The first review of the program