DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
BETHESDA, MD. 20014
AREA CODE 301! TEL: 656-4000

December 13, 1967

Dr. Joshua Lederberg

Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford Medical Center

Palo Alto, California 94304

Dear Dr. Lederberg:

Thank you very much for your letter of November 30, regarding the
study of children of high birthweight. I am sure that we can now
consider the study as formally initiated. After our brief talk here,

I felt somewhat unhappy about the choice of the control group. As I
turned the question in my mind, I became more and more convinced that
children in the 100th percentile of birthweight should be compared with
children of "normal" birthweight, whatever that is. I was particularly
glad, therefore, to receive your suggestion that fe should select
ehildren in the 50th percentile of birthweight as a control group. I
think that this is a most happy choice.

I have written the specifications for the production of a selected
tape file which would include ail the information presently available
on the children in the 100th percentile and those in the 50th percentile
of birthweight, born to core study mothers. In addition, I have asked
for the complete record of about 300 children born to diabetic mothers
who have attended the Joslyn Clinic during the data collection phase
of the study, who comprise a special sub-population of study mothers.
These specifications are already in the hands of our programmers. I
was able to obtain from my Chief high priority for this project and,
if no other investigating committees descend upon us, we should have
the file ready within a reasonable period of time. I cannot estimate
what this reasonable period of time would be but I will keep you posted
on the progress from this end.

Sa 709d 0H LAY / UAW

Thank you very much for the references on Huntington's chorea and
diabetes. JI was aware of the ones on Huntington's chorea although,
with the exception of the article by Kenyon and Hardy, I was not able
to include them in my review because they appeared after my article
went to print. I would very much appreciate your opinion about the
reviewe
I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed our all-too brief meeting and
exchange of ideas. I do hope that these opportunities will be more
plentiful in the future and I certainly look forward to a long and
profitable association.

Very cordially yours,

e — f
t
} srw

Ntinos C. Myrianthopoulos, Ph.D.

Head, Section on Epidemiology and
Genetics

Perinatal Research Branch

National Institute of Neurological
Diseases and Blindness