THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO
FACULTY OF MEDICINE

DEPARTMENT OF GSACTERIGLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
THE HAMILTON KING MEEK MEMORIAL LABORATORY

375 SOUTH STREET,
LONDON, CANADA

 

April 20, 1959.

Dr. Joshua Lederberg,
Department of Genetics,
Stanford University,
Stanford, Calif.

Dear Josh:
We are just beginning to make general decisions and

a few tentative plans towards the VIII International Congress
of Microbiology. It seems to be years ahead but from the

planning point of view the time is short enough. The <
question that is concerning me is the relative emphasis on ©
various fields of microbiology. The principle of limitation %
by the arrangement of focal topics was started at Stockholm y
and it is more or less decided that it will be continued in Ls
the 1962 Congress. The main reason is that some limitations ~~
of numbers, particularly on this continent, is necessary in >
order to have a congress that is manageable. Cy
There is no doubt that micribial genetics should nave fey

some part jn any congress but it is more difficult to decide
whether the major programme (including symposia as well as
paper sessions on genetics) should be organized. This is the
more difficult when genetics holds an international congress
on its own. This allows the specialist at least to have un-
equalled opportunities for discussion of his work. If that
is so, perhaps the sort of genetics that we should consider
in the microbiological congress is that which particularly
impinges upon general ideas of microbiology and perhaps one
should provide a symposium or a lecture, or both, to give
more technical orientation.

Do you have any particular advice on this matter?

I hope that the process of settling is going well and
that you both are happily ensconced in the new environment.

With best regards,
Ib
(22

R.G.E. Murray, M.D.
KGEM/fp. Professor.