HARVARD UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

TEL. (617) 734-3300 DEPARTMENT OF NUTRITION
(617) 734-3311 (AFTER HOURS) May 7 1969 665 HUNTINGTON AVENUE
3
CABLE ADDRESS: NUTHARYV, BOSTON BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02115

Professor Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics
Stanford University

Palo Alto, California

Dear Professor Lederberg:

It is difficult to learn from your piece in the May 3 issue of Saturday
Review whether you favor or oppose fluoridation. I have not seen your "two
columns'’ from which this piece was put together by Mr. Lear and perhaps your
views are more clearly stated in these columns.

In the Saturday Review article you write ..."For those of us who see
a benefit from ...(fluoridation)." I assume from that statement you
support fluoridation. However, you also wrote. "My own summary judgement
would be to acquiesce in a community decision for fluoridation, with
regrets ...." That seems to imply you are opposed to fluoridation.

We certainly agree with your comment about our "lack of basic knowledge”
of fluoride and its interaction with calcium, magnesium, and a couple of
dozen other physiologic reactions, but we do know that some 7 million Americans
have drunk naturally fluoridated water for generations with no discernible
ill effects. Another 80 million Americans have drunk water with the fluoride
level adjusted to 1 ppm for brief periods to nearly 25 years with no discernible
effects. Let us keep pressing for more basic research but at the same time
not deny society the advances of this safe and effective development in modern
public health.

When you were discussing hemodialysis in patients with uremia you did not,
unfortunately, discriminate between these two types of patients (i.e., those
with uremia who are dialyzed and those who are not). As we pointed out in
our article, the difference is important,for only those patients undergoing
dialysis with fluoridated water bear the risk (and perhaps, in certain cases,
the benefits) of bony fluoridation.

I realize that you did not select Mr. Lear's caption to your piece ("Another
Opinion on Fluoridation - We Need More Research") but this is already being
used by "local antis" in claiming that another Nobel Prize winner opposes
fluoridation. Not knowing Mr. Lear except via his writings, my guess is that
that is exactly what he hoped for, and that you probably did not know your
piece would follow ours, or did you? Mr. Lear's brief rebuttal was certainly
Professor Joshua Lederberg
Page 2

a weasely retraction of his flamboyant bravado in his March 1 piece.

If you care to make a brief, clear-cut statement as to whether you
support or oppose fluoridation, we would appreciate having it.

With kind regards,
Sincerely,
Putrccl a
Fredrick J.’Stare, M. D.
Professor of Nutrition

Chairman, Department of
Nutrition

FIJS:vs