Strategy in American Cancer Research After World War II: A Case Study

Abstract

This is a study in the history of the large scale science that emerged after the Second World War. The paper examines the Influence of industrial research practices on the work of two important American cancer research laboratories - the Sloan-Kettering Institute and The Institute for Cancer Research - during the period 1945-50. It is shown that even before the war the application of Industrial organization to cancer research was debated. Then it is demonstrated that the early post-war strategies of the two institutes drew upon Industrial experience. Finally it is argued that these Industrially influenced strategies were responsible for institutional emphases on chemotherapy research.