January 16, 1959

Dr. C. F. Roblnow
Bacterlology Laboratory
University of Western Ontario
Victoria Hospital

London, Ontarlo, Canada

Dear Cari:

Thank you so very much for your expansive letter of the 12th. |
am afraid we are so enmeshed in packing that this is nut the time for
a considered answer to some of your questions, but | can assure you
that | find your comments most useful and will certainly keep them In
mind as we proceed with our work. Your letter did arrive just tn time
for me to discuss It with Dr. Blackwood and she will doubtless make con-
tact with you If she decides to enter into this particular field for her
fellowship in England.

1 am sure that { do not know how to interpret the figures we already
have on fertilization and we will certainly keep an open mind and 2 look
out for the structures you suggest. The main catch is that we probably
have to reconcile ourselves wich Jacob's picture of progressive transfer
and this may mean that the fertilization nucieus Is completely unraveled
into a single tinear and extended strand In the course of fertilization.
Conceivably such a strand may be quite invisible.

baa afraid to can'c teli you anything fron present data about the
chromatin of the donor celis. Ail i can say is’ that these celis are
usually still viabie, presumably relying on the residual nuclel that
have not been invoived in fertilization.

Since you mentioned that you had sent duplicates of your papers on
mucor to Stanford, | have given these to Dr. Blackwood, for which sha is
most grateful. You certainly do furnish us with a puzzle to understand
the regularity of distribution of genetic material by the nuclear mechanisms
that you see. However, as you have already taken pains to point out, the
protozoa already furnish equally difficult and inescapable problems.

As usual, your photographs are magnificent.

Yours sincerely,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor

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