From a Financial Times Report
Drugs, insecticides and food additives have been rushed onto the market "too quickly" in some cases ..according to Dr.W. Mitchell, chairman cf the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, He told the 10lst meeting of the British Pharmaceutical Conference that so far research has aimed mostly at producing new drugs without a true knowledge of how any drug acted on the living organism. Because a prompt financial return could only be expected from the discovery of new drugs themselves, the industry had tended to concen= trate on the direct search "leaving the more expensive fundamental work to others"..In the light of obvious ignorance of the action of chemicals on bodily function, Dr. Mitchell said he was appalled at the lack of humility of some chemists, amounting occasionally to "recklessness"
However, reaction had been setting in, hastened by the Thalidomide disas» ter and the publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" Wonderful ammunition! was being supplied to politicians who told people "they are poisoning your 4 food" by some toxicologists who fed suspect materials to test animals at a high , percentage of their total diet. Not surprisingly, the wretched animals may ‘ display adverse symptons..Such accelerated toxicity tests could be misleading if not downright alarmist, Dr. Mitchell asserted, EDITOR's NOTE: Comrades are reminded of the 'Save the Young Soci,lists! rally that will take place on Sunday, Sept. 20th, 2.00pm at the Mahatma Gandhi Hall, 41 Fitzroy Square, London, W.l.e Speakers will include Roger Rosewall, Chris Arthur, Roger Protz, Gus Macdonald, Gavin Kennedy, Peter Taafe and Fred Lindope
THE WEEK . Page 5