March 28, 1972

Dr. s.uCtavards»
Department Of Social Medicine

University of Birmingham
Birmingham, England

Dear John,

It seems increasingly evident that I will not be able to be
present myself at the National Academy of Sciences Symposium
in April, that I was given the mission of organizing. I am
particularly sorry not to have a chance to see you but I hope
that you may be able to respond to another opportunity for that,
Before I come to this, let me expand briefly on what I hope you
will cover in your lecture, although of course you must assume
your own responsibility for this. What I had in mind wae a general
perspective on the quantitative contribution of genetic components
to the variance of health by whatever (necessarily imperfect)
measures one knows how to apply. The role of single factor
determined diseases,while of course most important in ilavestigative
work, tends to give gross underestimates of the role of genetic
variation in general health levels, Most practitioners have
therefore obviously grossly underestimated the overall significance
of genetic factors. I realize that you will ask what one can do
with this information except to try to isolate single gene pathways,
and of course most of the conference will be devoted just to these,
C.0. Carter has made a certain contribution in emphasizing the
heritable component of common diseases, but I am not aware that
anyone as yet has attempted a general overview of "the heritability
of health" in a critical fashion as I believe you would be uniquely
qualified to do and hope will be equally interested.

As &#o the chance for a further meeting let me most economically
draw your attention to the attached statement and asked whether I
can interest you in being @ participant at the meeting at Rehovot
this July. Most of the attendants will be more particularly concerned
with biochemical and physiological aspects of genetics; we may have some
small additional contribution of the cytological side and we are
likely to be considerably deprived of population~oriented insights
if I cannot persuade you to come, At the very least I think it will
be good fun and there may even be a useful outcome from this kind of
brainstorming workshop.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

JL/rr

‘epee pr

HS