March 17, 1955
Thursday PM

Dear Syd:

Since my most recent (2d) bulletin to you on Bob, I have received
your letter. You can be sure we all shared your sense of shock.

More th the point, Bob has taken a dramatic turn for the better,

completely overturning the dismal prospects we were envisaging last
week, Since Sunday afternoon, he has been completely conscious, well-
oriented and alert. He speaks with decreasing effort, and with full
_ fluency, For the last couple of days, I have spent considerable time

with him discussing various seminars and other scientific details, in-
cluding plans for the adjustments he may need to make to eome back to
the lab, We need have no fears off the scores off his intellectual capacity
or emotional stability.

Still more surprising, his moter functions are returning to a remand-
kable degree in relation to the observed lesion. Hie left leg is becoming
strong enough that he will certainly walk normally; he has started some
in his shoulder, We had certainly despaired of his left hand, but he
showed for the first time tonight a definite flicker there too! Bob amazed
everyone by pulling through at all; he is doing it again by his determina-
tion to get back everything that would be hihmanly possible, and by
what this is accomplishing. I could not be more impressed by his attitudes;
what any man can manage, Bob is going to do, and I should say we ought
not to abandon hope too sonn for a substantial motor recovery even of
his left arm and hand. As far as can be seen, these abe the only residuals.
He is demanding as heavy a program of physical therapy as they will allow,
and it seems to be getting somewhere, At worst I am still optimistig
that his promising career is not going to be seriously impeded, as he
will still have the ingenuity to make his right hand do for both, At best,
he may well get over the physical obstanle itself. Of course +hey-may—
there may always be possibilities of other troubles later on, but I see
no point anticipating them needlessly, and they would not be likely to be
seriously disabling, At any rate, if there is anything we can do here
to help Bob's recovery and adaptation, we are going to do it, and I am
sure you would ahare the same sentiment, But it looks as if Bob is going
to take on the burden o@ shat task himself.

Ernest Kuhn, one of the men your letter mentioned, evidently came
out of his experience just as well, and has been back to work for some
time, with no overt marks of it,

We are already thinking of when Bob will be able to go back homeg and
tp some light work or study, and this should be in a mafygakg matter of some
weeks, Fortunately, he and Mari live quite close to the hospital and lab.,
making the arrangement most convenient.

Bob will pbobably write you himself in due course.

Ko 8 sincerely,

i

oshua Lederberg

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