Becember 23, 1954

Dear Bruce:

A hasty reply to yours of the 17th, received just a few minutes
ago. I think I do have the pedigrees you talk about; I agree that
the procedure you suggest is the most sensible. But I think you
should include any pedigrees that are used to support any particular
inferences. I have been quite preoccupied with isolation work on
‘conjugal E. coli, and have not gotten back to trails for som time.
The main truble was that I couldn't quite see what would be a really
decisive experiment. I am incling more ani more to agree that the data
as they stand now should be published, but with some caution as to spe-
fic conclusions. If we can manam to cover, briefly, all the hypotheses
we can think of, md indicate what we consider to be the pros ani cons,
I would suppose we should be able to come to agreement. If there are any
exteis ive figures, my earlier suggestion of the Proc. Rat. 8cad. Sci. U.S.
is out, but I do not thank it should go to a microbiological journal. How
about the Proc. Roy. Soc. London-~ do you have access to it? Or else
Heredity, or Genetics here. Journal of Genetics unfortunately takes forever.

(I notice by the ax way that you are now helping to edit the J.G.u. I
hope you will be able to improve the level of the genetics contributicns.
The last couple of papers from Rowley & Co. badly needed some editing,
not only in re controversial science, but the form of presentation of
data. If this becomes too abstruse, I would recommedd you consult with
Cavalli iwho concluded, by the way, a most enjoyable visit]. )

To get to Helen Bernsteih's problem— frankly she has been rather a
disappointment. She would make an excellent agsistant, and, for that matter
probably will aemmek qualify for a Ph.D., as standards go these days, but
I have been rather fruitlessly waiting for signs of any serious imaginative
insight or analytical ability. What she lacks here for a degree is primarily
a thesis that would display her capacity for independent research.

On the other hand, it is quite probable that her involvement with her
personal affairs during the last several months is partly responsible for
her current rating, and that she might pick upnagain if she is remotivated
for research. If she wants to continue, I would certainly recommend her to
you provided you can establish a firm hand at the start. I would particularly
recommend that you (together) suggest a problem in which you will have a defi-
nite and continued interest, so that she can get the stimlation of it from
you. I should have been able to foretell her experience here when she abjectly
falled to formlate a thesis problem of her own. She spent one year (after I
gave up waiting for her, and in hopes she would pick up something imam else
herself) in a fruitless analysis of Weedd#'s B/Cu, which never did come
to grips with the basic dssues (grantei she had some initial difficulties
in reproducing the effects, and did straighten that out). Her second
research year through to now has been on a study of compatibility be—
havior (F) in a few new coli lines. “gain the routine aspects have gone
ahead, rather slowly, but no more.

On the credit side, she knows a fair bt of the lab. routine and the
jargon of bacterial genetics, and something (not enough) of the recent
literature. On this account, you probably would find it worthwhile to
take her on as a research student, at least long enough to make your
own evaluation. In my experience people mature in jumps, often when
they assume new responsibilities, and I can at least hope she would make
a fresh start. If your lab operates with a reasonable discipline, to

aR no amahlam Af?
immediate interest to you, you would have ncthing to lose, and might be doing
her an important service. ™

Of any of the possible places she might work at in London, yours is the
only cne I would consider reco:mending her to.

We were sorry to hear of yur illness. As Esther mentions in her Xmas
card, we should exchange another tape, bus your performahee set 2 disccuragingly
unmatachable standard.

Sorry to be sc unfriendly and not writing, but this semster, or as far
back as I can remember now, has been a horror. “it the least of the chores are
at the house, but the little time we have for it has been sell spent. W8'1ll send
you a pieture sometime--~ it is a 3~bedroom(small) lennon stone, ene floor +
basement, set up on a rather hilly street (13 ft. above road) at the Western
edge of town, actually not tco far from University Houses. Je have a fair—size
living-dining room combination, and a huge »indow (about 6 x 10 Beet) that barely
manages to overlook cur neighbours bele. ccross the street to somes sort of
rural view. One of the rooms is usedf for a study, ancther as 5 guest toom

-

The basement is well laid out, one room finished (or nearly so) about 10 x 208
serves as a seminar room for our biweekly lab. meetings. The rest has a ping
pong table, and the usual utilities (including an extra shower & toilet). This
room also has a sofa~bed and we use it as a second guest "apartment", We are in
the course of building a garage, under our front lawn to connect the basement
with the street, and except that we had an unseaonal thaw today (about 40 1) I
would have saic the works are buried in snow. But unfortunately, it probably
will be a white Chrdstmas yet.

Yours, as ever,

Jcshua Lederberg