April 4, 1969

Dr. Ntinos C. Myrianthopoulos

Head, Section on Epidemiology and Genetics

Rreinatal Research Branch

National Institute of Neurological Diseases
and Stroke

National Institutes of Health

Bethesda, Maryland 20014

Dear Dr. Myrianthopoulos:

I will answer your first question about some of our tabulations on the
high birth weights in a later leteer when I can assemble some of the runs

that we made. I have to tell you, though, that the results are not very
exciting.

As to your second point, I think it would be a very good idea indeed to
assemble a small group of geneticists to review ways of analyzing the
perinatal mortality file to the greatest advantage. About the earliest
time that I could manage such a meeting myself would be mid-June, and you
will probably face a similar difficulty with some of the others that you
would want to call in. May I mage a specific auggestiong namely to hold
it on Thuraday, June 19, which will be immediately after a three-day meet-
ing I will be attending at the National Institute of Mental Health. I
would like to add another suggestion, that you might invite my wife,
Marguerite, to attend this discussion, since she has already had useful -
experience with this kind of file and has a general background as a

pediatrician interested in population studies that would be quite inval-
uable for our discussion.

I have had several inquiries from students during the past few months

who might be brought into a program in this area, and this could well be
the basis for a renewed interest on our part in active participation. As
I will write you further in more detail, I have heenconsiderably hung up
in pushing rapidly on the tapes that I got from you, partly for lack of
funds to support this line of work, and partly for not having put together
vary much of a group to participate in it.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

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