STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

STANFORD MEDICAL CENTER

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA 94304 Yo
DEPARTMENT OF GENETICS Area Code 4:5
Professor Joshua Lederberg
321-1200

August 2, 1968

Dr. Harold Aaron

The Medical Letter

Drug and Therapeutic Infermation,Inc.
505 #, 45 Street

New York 10917

Dear Dr. #aron

I would be grateful to you for information you may have available
on:

I would like to write a column on the Medical Letter, and would appre-
ciate as much background information as you can conveniently send me:

its origins, original and present financing, impact on the profession,
published criticisms (+/-), how you arrive at authoritative judgments,

and how you deali with controversy and complain&$ about implied advertising.

hosvy “A

(For example, the 6/14 issue refers to an Insect Sting First Aid-- aren't
you going to get 19 other-vendors on your back to mention their equally
good products?)

Your enterprise is a fascinating one, besides its obvious importance in
medicine, as a way of making public disinterested technical advice. I am
very much interested in the subtler kinds of pressures that interfere
with this, and how you cope with them. Have you had any indication that
detail men will pick up your comnents, either as adverse to their com-
petitors, or occasiohally even laudatory about an established drur?

Have you had any foundation or govt. support? Have you ever been ap-
proached by the PMA about bloc support from them? (I assume you wouldn't
want it; why £ can't physicians readily support sueh an enterprise and

save you from as many pressures as possible.) flave there been expressions
of support or otherwise fron organived medical societies? Froposals for
block subscriptions? Can you stay afloat without tiem?

Thank you, ~ |
// Joshua Lederberg
NOTE: I write a weekly column on "Science and Man" for the Washington

Post and affiliated newspapers. Your information may be helpful
to me in drafting future columns.