[History of founding the Swiss Cancer League]

The Swiss Cancer League was founded in 1910 under the name of "Schweizerisches Komitee für Krebsforschung". It was initiated by the first director of the Swiss Federal Health Office, Dr. Friedrich Schmid. Schmid received most impulses from the Genevan "Société de la lutte contre le cancer", founded in 1907 in Geneva. Its mentor, Dr. Robert Odier, had struggled for federal support and for membership in the International Organisation for Cancer Research (founded in 1908 in Berlin). The main purpose of the "Schweizerisches Komitee für Krebsforschung" was to start a national cancer research program. For this reason, another society was founded, the "Schweizerische Vereinigung für Krebsforschung". It had to procure money and provide information of lay people and physicians as well. During and after World War I activities stagnated and reorganisation became necessary. Changes of personnel, new activities and topics and opening membership to non-medical persons initiated a new phase of modernization.