July 26, 1968

oO Dean Bayless Manning

/,
Joshua Lederberg AR Ye eter
Gwe Department of Genetics 6

 

Dear Bay,

I really did enjoy your article very much and I have only a few rather minor comments.
Page 1, the last paragraph, implies that intra-specific zoocide occurs commonly among
other animal species and I would question that. In fact, I have to give a small weight
to a principle that is awfully Spenecerian because it has been so much exaggerated but
that is that the-kintd-of intra-specific com etition( thet the abrogation of the customary
inhibitions that prevail among other animals) may have been an important element in
accelerating the evolution of the human brain. It is hard to see any other process
besides competing with other humans that could have impelled such an explosively rapid
evolution.

Along the same lines your reference to a hundred thousand years as the history of an
ethical prescription against homicide seems overdrawn. I need only remind you of the
defense of "Englishry" against an allegation of murder that prevailed during the Danish
administration of Great Britain. The process that does deserve comment is the gradual
extension of the privileged group from ones own family, to ones own tribe, to ones own
nation, to that of common humanity. Page 3, at the bottom, you still do need the word
‘suddenly’ although it's implied in the first paragraph of page 4, Page 7, there is

I believe at least one case of the prosecution for euthanasia. I don't remember the name
but it was in 1949 or 1950 in New Hampshire, and it excited quite a bit of public interest
at the time so it must be in the newspapers. The doctor was acquitted and subsequently
received only a rather mild punishment from his professional society. Page 4, there is

a nice discussion of penalties for suicide in Granvill Williams. He mentions forfeiture
of property for successful suicide. And imprisonment for uneuccesful attempts. Suicide
pacts have, of course, been treated more viciously. Page 8, the last paragraph, one
might at least remark that aggressive refusal of consent by next of kin for the termina-
tion of medical care would hardly do a doctor any good. Page 11, last paragraph - this
is not a suggestion that you add anything to your text, but it is perfectly plain that
political considerations had to be taken into account in the terminal care of the late
Senator Kennedy. Page 14, in the second paragraph, you refer to the ‘sure death' of

the other, I think 'sure doom' might be a more accurate phrase. Page 23, about futuristic
writing, let me recommend to you a book "The Future as Nightmare! H. G. Wells and the
Anti-Utopians" by Mark Hillegas, Oxford University Press, 1967". He very neatly covers
just the literature you are interested in. The bottom of page 2h, "qracking the genetic
code” is a cliche. The code really has been cracked. You're talkine about a much larrer
surround of information about human development. That is probably just a technicality
but a confusing one, nevertheless,

At the very end, I would suggest 'typhoon' rather than 'monsoon'.

Any how, let me emphasize that the points I've just listed are very minor and how much I
did enjoy the piece altogether.

NiMNy A $I