July 22, 1975

Dr. Martin Kaplan
World Health Organization
1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland

Dear Martin,

This is just a brief follow-up on our telephone conversation.
I have to tell you that I had some ambiguous statements by Mr. Renshaw
of Prism Magazine which implied that bhheacquiesced in the limited
distribution of my article for publication but felt rather uncomfortable
about it. I would be amazed if anything short of the most strenuous efforts
by WHO would achieve such visibility as to substantiate his concerns, and
I must say I am also irked by his attitude of somewhat limited cooperation.
Unfortunately I did not take the usual precaution that I have almost
routinely done in submitting manuscripts, namely to reserve to myself
auxiliary rights of this kind. I will know better next time. I do not
really foresee any problem but it would not be discrete to have that
particular annex issued as a formal printed document for distribution
beyond the immediate needs of the press conference. Perhaps after it is
in print there would be less objection to a further distribution if you
see any interest in doing that, and I think there might be in an prgan
like World Health. But I guess you know that editors are rather jealous
about priority in publication.

I have been reading through some of the documents and official records of
which I have begun to receive the stream that I had requested. I must say that
it is rather heavy going trying to extract the essential data from the masse
of detail. For example, the proposed program budget (official records No. 220)
nowhere gives a very clear explanation of the policy judgments that account
for the differentiated growth and decline of different sectors between 1974
and 1977. For example, I am at a loss to know what underlies the substantial
projected reduction of support for iteme 6.1.2 and 6.1.3. On page 17 there
is a rather hazy reference to WHA 27.49 which I asgppose must be an arcane way
of referring to a politically sensitive basis for the policy shift. (This is
not to suggest that I have any position on the matter, I am just concerned
about the amount of effort that is required to understand a document of this
kind). If there is other material that would be helpful as a road map to the
program, I will of course be very grateful to know about it.

One of the sources of my perplexity is also to try to identify the

different people and groups who are responsible for various activities.
I suppose this must be a long-standing tradition but I find it difficult

-2-«-
‘pr. M. Kaplan -2- 7/22/75

even to find the director's name,and the table of organization is hardly
more illuminating. I suppose this is something I can get on a more
personal basis, but it was interesting to observe that the organizational
chart does not even refer to the DDG by title much less name.

L am of course particularly interested in knowing the process, the
administrative structure, and the personalities that are involved in the
fundamental planning effort. And I suppose you will have to_tell me this
somewhat personally to describe the realities as well as the theoretical
structure.

Let me turn to one very specific research item that struck me on this
first perusal. Again and again there are references to the stability of
vaccines and other medicinal agents as a limiting factor in their utilization
in tropical countries. It is a matter of common sense that mechanical
refrigeration is hardly the optimal answer to this problem for many field
applications although this may be the basic orientation in the distribution
of thermosensitive substances in advanced countries. It seems to me it
would be important to try to develop a fairly well focussed but rather
basic research program to find solutions to this problem which could, of course,
have very great leverage at a practical level. If you already have information
about WHO activities or expert advice in this area, or other bibliographic
material on research relating to the stabilization of biological materials,

I would very much like to see that. I have some of my own connections that ~
I can be pursuing in parallel; in particular there have been a few studies
that NASA has sponsored to learn more about the survivability of micro-
organisms under harsh environmental conditions that might be quite germane

to this question. For example, it is well known that bacteria actually
imbedded in soil are much more resistant to thermal inactivation than the
same organisms in solution, and I think that if systematically investigated,
these adsorptive effects might be very useful indeed for the practical
preservation of certain vaccines. In fact, one of my former graduate students
is connected with this program at the present time, and if I could get some
more tangible leads from you about models of high priority concerns, she
might be able to spend some of her own time on it within the very near futur:.

This kind of consideration suggests that there might indeed be some
value to a brain-storming study (and I think rather that than a single
convened session) to try to identify specific research challenges that would
be of high priority for health needs. I have in mind an output document that
would be similar in form to the thing that Noel Vietmeyer at the National
Academy of Sciences helped put together on ‘Pood Science in Developing Countries:
‘a collection of unsolved problems". Scrimshaw in fact played a substantial
role on that study also. If you have not already seen it, I know that Howard
Goocman has a copy.
Dr. Martin Kaplan ~3= 7/22/75

As I atart trying to get some overview of WHO's general tasks, I
of course am almost overwhelmed by their complexity and also by the wide
variety of existing agencies and procedures that are already engaged in
international health planning. I will need to get some better perspective
on whose decisions really count in this arena before I can offer anything
the least bit sensible by way of further commentary. So, let me reiterate
that failing the opportunity for a lengthier visit in September, I would be
glad to look for an occasion where I could meet either with you or with
Dr. Mahler at your own convenience for some few hours in order to thrash
these things out in more detail after having done some of this literature
homework. My own convenience is governed more by the shift of time zones
than any other consideration.

As to the matter of arrangements for September, while we are a little
disappointed not to be able to make it just at that time, we did not really
make any very strong commitments but it was useful to get information fron
you on this notice. At this time the first haff of December seems reasonably
plausible, although it may take a little more doing on Marguerite'’s part
to be able to join me. We probably will not bring either of out children
in that circumstance. As to Marguerit&é’s role, which we have discussed,
her time probably would be more usefully spent. in working very directly
and closely with me than in attempting to find some contrived niche on
the mental health program. From her own background and experience she has
a perspective that I have always found very useful in broadening ny own
outlook. A letter from you addressed to her inviting her to participate
in this study in collaboration with me would be most useful in enabling her
to get leave from her other duties for the interval. I am sure that her
residency-training supervisors will recognize the occasion as a renarkable
opportunity, so that evaryone should profit from the arrangement.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

JL/rr