Duncan Guthrie with daughter Janet

Action Medical Research was born out of the concern of a father for his daughter. In 1949 18-month-old Janet Guthrie was diagnosed with polio.

Her father, Duncan, was so distressed by Janet’s illness, and appalled by the lack of knowledge about what was a disease of epidemic proportions, that he used the 7s 6d kept in a tobacco tin under the bed to set up a new charity. In 1952 the National Fund for Poliomyelitis Research was established.

Sure enough, research funded by the charity led to the development of the polio vaccine, paving the way for virtual eradication of the disease world-wide. The charity went from strength to strength as Action Research for the Crippled Child, with achievements such as the development of pioneering hip replacement surgery, the testing of the first rubella vaccine, discovering the importance of folic acid in the prevention of spina bifida, and many other breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, problems with pregnancy and premature babies, to name but a few.

In 2003 the charity’s name became Action Medical Research, and with its new name comes a renewed determination to keep working to improve the health and quality of life of everyone. Polio is now a thing of the past in Britain — with your help, many more debilitating diseases can be consigned to history.

Read further details of our impressive track record in the research projects section.