FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY
U. S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HEALTH

NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE SEBOHEEGOAX TEA x WiK
c/o Department of Biology
Princeton University
Princeton, Ned. January 29, 1953

 

Dr. Joshua Lederberg .
Depertment of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
College of Agriculture

Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Dr. Lederberg:

Thank you for your ietter of January 2lst. I find
myself inclining to the view which is more or less expressed in
my book, that neobiogenesis was to a certain extent a preduct
of the conditions existing on the earth at a given period,
including of course the lack of any living systems at the time,
pius some rel: tively improbeble event or events. I find it
difficult to subscribe to the idea that such 4 process is going
on today; although,as you suggest, some of the steps may be going
on.

You suggest that you want to put your iceas on the origin

of life together from a geneticists view point. I hope you will
do this and I should be very interested in seeing the paper.
You ask me to send you reprints on the subject. My own two
papers previous to the book are pretty much discussed there,
although I will try to find ccpies to send you. The one on
photosynthesis has little bearing any rore,

As to your request that I make specific references to the
pages in the book that reflect my contributions to the subject,
I feel that my only contribution to the subject is a synthesis,
and that there are no perticular parts of the book that I would
want to enpnasize beyond others. JI have been considerably
concerned with asking questions wnich I hope that others like .

yourself will help to answer.
?
Sine yp ly yours, a

~ 2d ye

Herold F. Blum