BOARD OF TRUSTEES
CARL LAMANNA, R. E. BUCHANAN
SOCIETY OF AMERICAN BACTERIOLOGISTS

H. H. McKINNEY
AMERICAN PHYTOPATHOLOGICAL SOCIETY

M. H. SOULE
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF
PATHOLOGISTS AND BACTERIOLOGISTS

D. H. WENRICH
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ZOOLOGISTS

R. W. DAVIDSON
MYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

N. R. SMITH

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

R. D, COGHILL, G. W. IRVING, JR.
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

CARL LAMANNA, CHAIRMAN
R. E. BUCHANAN
M. H. SOULE
AMERICAN TYPE CULTURE COLLECTION
2029 M STREET. N. W. CURATOR
FREEMAN A. WEISS
WASHINGTON 6, D. C.

ASSISTANT CURATOR
R,. LLOYD PHILLIPS

ISABELLA S. BOULDIN, BACTERIOLOGIST
RUTH D. DAVIS, BACTERIOLOGIST

SECRETARY-MANAGER
KATHERINE ALVORD

October 15, 1951

Dr, Joshua Lederberg

Department of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
College of Agriculture
Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Doctor Lederberg:

I should have written to you before this to thank you for the speciman
of Escherichia coli preserved on silica gel, and for the detailed in-
formation you comminicated regarding this method of preservation, I had
intended to investigate the subject in literature and by consultation with
colleagues a little more before attempting a reply. As you doubtless know
anyway there is little or no mention in literature of this use of silica
gel as a dehydrating end preserving agent, end I have found no femilierity
with it among colleagues, although some heve tried to desiccate cultures
that were made on hydrated silica gel and, I would add, without success,

 

: ay Th!

I find that the Will Corporation can only furnish grenular silica zel
that contains a cobalt indicator, ani I suppose this would not be suiteble
for the preservation of bacterial cultures, I am writing to the Davison
Company for a sample of the non-indicator form of silica gel,

Evidently this is a process that it will be well worth while to
investigate further, and I am grateful to you for bringing it to my attention,
We will test it on as many different kinds of orgenisms as our fecilities
permit,

Sincerely yours,

Few an A. Wert

¥reeman A, Weiss
Curator

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