WEL Diary

27 August 1951
erber

WEL has just hud a chance to read a copy of Joshua Lederberg's

terminal report on his three-year project on the Genctics of Bacteria,

May 1, 1948 ~ April 30, 1951. In his covering letter he briefly explores
the possibility of continued ald for his work, asking specifically for

‘one or two years! support for Dr. P, D. Skaar (previously with

As the three-year limitation of the grant in aid mechanism is now over with
in L's case, the possibiiity of a Trustee action for the support of his
work arises. Such possivle actlon probably should follow:

1. A review of his last three years! work |

2. Receipt of a formal description of his projected future work.
3. A visit to his laboratory in Wisconsin.

In reviewing L's report of his last three years" grant in ald,
there is a general tone of maturity und competence that is quite striking
in a worker who was rather well known for his inmaturity and brashness a
few years ago. L has now become, apparently, one of the world’s experts
on bacterial genetics, giving the talx on this subject at the Cold Spring
Harbor Symposium this year. In his report he mentions such interesting
findings as the routine production of bacterial hybrids, the extension of
his work from E. coli to the paratyphoid group, as well as studies on the
coli phase and the elusive "L. forms" of coli that are filterable in size.
All in ail, L has produced some thirteen capers in recognized journals
during the last three-year period and may be cousidered to have put the
occurrence of "sex" in bacteria on u completely firm scientific basis
that is beyond question today. It should be remarked of course that usually
the word "sex" ccnnotes a male and a female, one of which does not produce
any progeny. In bacteria, this of course is not the case, as both celis
oatiaue to divide by fission, but from a genetic point of view the sane
‘purpose Ls answered as in higher animals, us nucleoprotein (gene) reshuffling
and sorting out have tanen plice with the consequent production of differing
progeny (often better able to adapt to the environment), quite apart from
any mutation mechanism that may exist

To have done all of this in three years and with a totai RF in-
vestment of $7,500 would seem to be one of the best experiences to date of
the grant in aid program. Now that the threc-year trial perlod is over, it
would seem that L is a genuinely original scientist of high capacity and
genuine dedicution. Before a Trustee action should be initiated, however, .
various opinions of men such as Beadle, Mulier, Demerec, Davis, etc., should
be collected, und if these opinions confirm the above point of view, perhaps
a three-year * Trustee action of $15,0u0 - $20,u00 might well be in order.