October 3, 1958

Dr. Rui: T. Gross

Associate Professor in Pediatrics
Stanford University School of Medicine
San Francisco 15, California

Dear Or. Gross:

Having seen your very cordial letter of September 29, and the accompanying
material (which | was delighted to have) |! am sure you would have a splendid and
fruitful time with Cavalli and vice versa. Between ourselves, we would be very
pleased to have him in our own department, though there unhappily seems little
prospect of this just now, so we can do the next best thing, Mahomet-Mountain
style. With the biochemical background you already have, it seems to me you'd
best learn what more you'd need in that field by actually doing it, and where
could you get better backing In it than at Stanford after Kornberg arrives?

The reason | would recommend Cavalli to you is the breadth of his approach
to human genetics. His biometry is as sound as you could find, but his basic
interests are experimental, so you won't be bored by it. And one has to fact the
fact that an irreducible minimum of pedigree analysis is still essential in human
genetics. But you won't find biochemical research as profound as Kalckar or
Horecker's. The Sardinian problem you mention may not be so narrow, and you
would face the problem of trying to account for the persistence of the gene in
Mediterranean populations, presumably through some advantage of the heterozygote.
| am sure you could get the necessary facilities at Milan for the ancillary
biochemical studies relevant to such a project.

Rome would be a waste of time, unhappily. 1! feel the same way about it.

Harry Harris at London would be a very strong bet indeed - If you'll look
at his Tittle book '"@n Introduction to Human Biochemical Genetics’ (published as
a Eugenics Laboratory Memolrs; XXXVI, Galton Laboratory) you'll see what | mean.
His main interest now Is in aminoaciduria (e.g., Brit. Med. Bull. 1957, 13 (1):
26-28) and he is at the Department of Biochemistry, London Hospital Medical College,
London E.1.) Your preference for the Italian alr would be enough to tip the
balance

| am hoping the NIH Study Section will meet at Stanford in January and give
me a chance to meet you then, if not sooner.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Medical Genetics