May 14, 1976

Dr.Erhest C. Herrmann

Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Mayo Clinic

Rochester, Minnesota 55901

Dear Dr. Herrmann,

Thank you for your letter of May 8th. No, I really don't see any
incongruity, nor while I found your article to be an intersting review
do I find it necessary in direct conflict with any of the views that I
have held or expressed. I believe that we should make maximum use of
whatever sources we have available to meet current problems and we alao
have to build for the future in as rational a way as we can.

You comment yourself about the essentiality of improving our
diagnostic procedures and I really don't see how we will achieve really
profound successes in that sphere without rather careful application
of the molecular and cell biology that has been accumulated over the
past 20 years.

I am sure you will find some more rigid dogmatists in favor of the
monolithic pursuit of pure research who would be willing to take up the
cudgels but I really don't think you and I have that much to fight avout.

What may not have come through clearly enough in my necessarily
abbreviated newspaper article was my concern about the origin of new
viruses and the chance that we had to predict the possibility of the
evolution of new kinds of human pathogens by mutation and recombination
of other viruses in the environment, including recognized human pathogens,
animal pathogens, and viruses now regarded as more or less innocuous.

Believe me, we are in common company in the way we have at tines been
treated by Science. I think I understand your grievance about contemporary
communication with and yield from basic research but I think your point of
view overlooks the ind&epensible contributions that have flowed from the
aggregate of past yeare and decades, and I aubmit that thia cannot be
ignored in evaluating it.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics
JL/rr