Z. A. Cobrk on es

THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY

1230 YORK AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10021

October 10, 1979

 

JOSHUA LEDERBERG

PRESIDENT

Dr. Arnold S. Relman

Editor

The New England Journal of Medicine
10 Shattuck Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02115

Dear Bud:

As I think I have chatted with you briefly a couple
of times, one of my most interesting challenges here at
the Rockefeller has been to try to get a better fundamen-
tal understanding of clinical research in the current
era. I wonder if I could impose on you to cite five or
ten publications that, in your own opinion, would be the
best examples to help me understand the process. I hope
you will keep in mind situations of some scientific and
clinical significance that were also dealt with in style.
As important as they may be, I do not have in mind epi-
demiological surveys or clinical trials to evaluate al-
ready quasi-established therapies. Of course what I have
in mind is to build a stronger conceptual foundation for
the policies to govern the future of the Hospital/Clinical
Research Center here.

If you need any more information about that it will
be readily forthcoming. I also look forward to an oppor-
tunity to discuss these matters with you further again
when, as I hope, we may see each other closer to hand.

By the way, do you happen to know of any latter day
equivalent of Beecher's "Disease and the Advancement of
Basic Science", which I have to remind myself was published
just about 20 years ago.

Yo sincerely,

ua Lederberg