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sity, Bloomin

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August 2, 1943

Dr. Max Delbruck

c/o Biological Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor

Long Island, New York

Dear Max,

Beale wrote me from Paris that you had suggested interpreting

our results with antigens ag an example of "flux equilibriun’. Ha wrote
me what he thought your idea was, but I am very anxious to get it straight
from you because it really doesn't make sense to me in the form I got it,

So anxious was T to get this information that I wrote to Horowitz asking
him if he could set me straight, but he said that no one out at Cal Tech
ever heard of this idea before, and now that you are back in the country,
I would Like very much to get it from you. I would also appreciate7greatly
if you would refer me to any facts in biology or chantatry which you believe

provide gome basis for this notion.

fhe main point which bothers me {again assuming that I got it
straight from Beale) is how you account for the existence of one partice
wlar set of conditions under which all of the alternative equilibria can
maintain themselves if once established by subjection to certain other
conditions, I cau, of course, understand readily how a given set of re~
actants can have different equilibria urder different conditions, but I
see no ground for assuming that these different equilibria vill maintain
themselves when all are vut under the same set of conditions,

I am taking part in a symposium in Washington in September and
will have to discuss my antigen resulta. I should like very much at that
t4ime to set forth your flux equilibrium idea, naturally attributing it to
you, in omer to set before the audience all the possible interpretations.
Haturally I am anxious to do justice to your idea and feel I can only do
this if you help me out by giving me the necessary information.

I hope you had a very pleasant and successful trip to Europe,
and look forward to seeing vou here perhaps in the near future.

With best regards,
Cordially yours,

T, H. Someborn