OCT 1 « 1979

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
BETHESDA, MARYLAND 20014

 

October 17, 1972

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics
School of Medicine
Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305

Dear Josh:

This is to express my appreciation of your willingness to participate
in the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of the National Institute of
General Medical Sciences. To put the record in order, the program has
been designed for the afternoon of Wednesday, March 21, 1973, from

2 - 4 o'clock in the Masur Auditorium of the Clinical Center, NIH.
There will be four speakers on approximately the following schedule:

2:00 Opening Comments
Introduction of distinguished guests

2:10 Dr. Philip Handler - "Why a Basic Science Institute at NIH?"

2:30 Dr. Joshua Lederberg - "Implications of the Life Sciences
for the Future of Man"

3:00 Dr. Norman Anderson - "Synthesis of Basic Research and
Engineering Development in the Interests of the Patient"

3:30 Dr. Lewis Thomas - "Notes of a Biology Watcher: Applications
of Biological Knowledge to Clinical Medicine"

4:00 Adjournment

Please feel free to change to your personal satisfaction the title of
your talk. It would be my hope that, in addition to the usual audience
derived largely from intramural scientists at NIH, we would attract some
of the governmental personnel in the Department of Health, Education, and
Welfare. Also, we shall endeavor to bring in representative members of
the press who are concerned with reporting of science.

I visualize this get-together as an opportunity once again to try to
explain why the conduct and the support of basic medical sciences is a
good thing. From your own experience you will recall how difficult it
is sometimes to explain to even the sympathetic and educated layman the
Page 2 - Dr. Joshua Lederberg

the reasons why the conduct of research in your field is of pressing
importance to society. Transmission of this message, if effective, will
assure us a prosperous second decade.

Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you. It is my hope
that this seminar will be followed by a dinner to which the important
guests will be invited.

With kindest regards,
Yours as ever,
Mi hii
DeWitt Stetten, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.

Director, National Institute of
General Medical Sciences