January 26, 1973

br. Martin Frobisher

Apt. 393, Alexander Hamilton Building
Drémmers Lane

Wayne, Pennsylvania 19067

Dear Martin,

Thank you for your note of January 23rd. I am delighted to have
your tidbits of comment and find each of these communications most
instructive. I wonder if you might think of collecting a number of
your reminiscences like those you have just communicated to me, so
that others may have the benefit of a glimps of what goes on in the

history of a science beyond what appears in the final record of
formal publication.

Your remark about the virucidal effect of Mansonia saliva
intrigues me in connection with possible explanation for the enigma
of the failure of yellow fever to take hold in South Asia despite
the prevalence of species that should be able to function as effective
vectors. What I have in mind is that Aedes in India may represent
either a different physiological variety or when living in a different
environment function differently than the same mosquito in South America.
If you know of other explanations of the non-occurrence of yellow fever
in South Asia, I would be interested in your views about it.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

JL/rr

!

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