October 13, 1948
Dear Doctor Heller:
Many thanks for your letter and for the book on VD control which I look forward to reading while I am here. I am, also, glad to hear that you have had a chance to visit Memorial Hospital and hope you found the variety and intensity of work going on there which always seems to me outstanding in the field of cancer research.
I am interested that you cannot find more than 100 to 150 beds to use for special cancer research in the country. It seems to me that this is completely inadequate, and I feel that support of cancer research should be given to large teaching institutions where there is already substantial work going on. It is too bad that you cannot organize a team to do some work in Hines Hospital outside of Chicago, which, I understand, has the largest number of caner patients in the United States.
I am so glad that you feel encouraged about the anti-follic compounds. I am wondering if you have seen any of the heads of Lederle Laboratories in order to push them to put more steam on the production of these compounds. It seems to me at the moment that they are rather slow about making enough for testing on human beings.
I am very happy to have the fact sheet from the VD Division and find it very useful.
I am hoping that you will be at the meeting of the American Public Health Association in Boston. I expect to be there for the giving of our awards on the eleventh. Is there any chance of your dining with me and several friends on the night of the tenth?
With all good wishes,
Yours,
(Mrs. Albert D. Lasker)