December 17, 1952

Dr. F. J, Ryan
Departrent cf Zoology
Columbia University
New York 27, “.%.

Dear Prancis:

The library here finally disinterred ite copy cf the Journal of the
Royal Statietical Society. Thank you for your offer te send me yours;
it will not be nsceseary after all. I must adit that I am left only
with the conviction that the only method of measuring nvtation rates
fe in the chemostat, barring an unwonted emmunt of work. I agres with
your conclusion that 4% is sanewhat aurprieing that the experimental
dietributiona of mmbere of mutants agres with the idealized model ae
well as they do.

IT eannot rake eny suggestions on your projected piaeric to Nature anent
Grigg. It ie oleerly put, and mscte the tanves. I sovetimee wonder at what
point ome should forbear from replying te irrational controversy. That
point has been passed with Winahelweod, as far as IT con see-~- there's no
diecusaion with hir on general principles, seneainiliy atter your last note
in JGM. My own rasclnticn 4s to ignore hia nonsares, though there might
be seme ve'ue fn clearing up his cm exnerfiantsa] axampler. Y wae impressed
on re-reading Velerv-Radotts Life of Pestaur how mich tins he woated beating
dead horses!

Wheat wee the craft of your remark or Doeton? To had te anke a hurried trip,
flying in one day, back the next, cr noma at al! and av very sorry not to
have beer able to make an occanion to see you. It accurre’ to Esther and
myself that we know hardly anyone now living still in New York —- her folke,
the Ryane et el at Columbia, Zinder; Devia....

The genetic analyeie of phase variation ese. to be beldi-g vp, though
the story ie net complete vet. Tre "setiveted loves" may te intercreted in
various waye-~ for exemple, ite stabllity in e given stete cay dovend on a
cycle from nucleus to cytoplasm to nucleus, e notion thet would bring thie
fairly close to Sonneborn's ant&gans. All of thie 1s purely hypothetical.
Perhaps more interesting, I wae emupedeed to fini that in st leset one syetem
the plaque-forming ability of vhaze could he almost oonpletely dastreyed
with scarcely any (ninairrent of trensduction. Thie raises the ressibility
of investigating the rotential transducing abilities of ""49o4cal"" phages
like T2. Tom seene to find life here reasonobly pleatant-- as you sayy per-
hape this ic why vou'we heard less from him.

Sinceraly,

Jeshua Lederberg