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

AMERICAN TYPE CULTURE COLLECTION

2029 M STREET, N. W.
WASHINGTON 6, D. C.

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics

The University of Wisconsin
College of Agriculture
Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Doctor Lederberg:

March 12,

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

CARL LAMANNA, CHAIRMAN
R. E, BUCHANAN
M. H. SOULE

CURATOR
FREEMAN A. WEISS

ASSISTANT CURATOR
R. LLOYD PHILLIPS

{SABELLA S, BOULDIN, BACTERIOLOGIST
RUTH D. DAVIS, BACTERIOLOGIST

SECRETARY-MANAGER
KATHERINE ALVORD

1952

My correspondence with you relative to your silica gel method of
preserving bacterial cultures has admittedly been desultory, but quite
I am greatly interested in this process and appreciate
your courtesy in bringing it to my attention and coaching me about it. We
have not done more with it to date because our working force has been de-
pleted by accidents and illness since mid-December, precluding consistent
attention to anything beyond routine culture transfers and filling orders.
We have not yet reactivated the Lisbonne-Carrére strain of E. coli and the
indicator Shigella which you sent, as Dr. Berteni Kindly furnished growing

unintentionally soe

cultures of the same and Dr. Wyckoff was ina hurry to get them.

The silica

gel culture of E. coli that you sent me last September was inviable when
tested five months later; but, as your circular letter implies, this process

is not to be recommended as yet for long term storages

Even if the viability

were preserved for only six months--which might be insured even with the

present technique if refrigerated storage is employed, it would be a signi-
ficant gain over our present transfer routine.
present difficulties in sending cultures great distances by maile

It would also eliminate some

In order to carry on more extensive testing of the method, which our wide
range of microorganisms certainly fits us to do, I am going to request a
This will be only a small
amount, but it will help to provide regular attention for this study instead
of having it sidetracked so often in favor of routine tasks.

subsidy from the Washington Academy of Sciences.

Thank you again for your cooperation.

developmentse

FAW/ap

Sincerely yours,

I will keep you informed of

Freeman A. Weiss

Curator