NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

DAVID R. GODDARD SECTION OF BOTANY
BOTANICAL LABORATORY

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

PHILADELPHIA 4, PENNSYLVANIA

April 30, 1957

Professor Joshua lederberg
Department of Medical Genetics
The University of Wisconsin
Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Josh:

I have your good letter of April 27 and first of all my congratulations
on your Department of Medical Genetics. I think you have a very real oppor=
tunity to make a major contribution to the medical profession in this
appointment.

I can see your problem as to the choice of section of the Academy. There
is no doubt that the members of the Botanical Section will be very much
disappointed if you should join some other section. On the other hand,
there is no doubt that the Pathology and Bacteriology Section needs new
blood. Whether or not they will accept your ideas, and whether you can have
any influence in this Section, I do not know.

You may be interested to know that Tracy Sotmeborn and I are proposing
to the Academy some reorganization so that people working in the borderline
fields of microbiology, virology and genetics, or certain aspects of bioche-
mistry and microorganisms can be considered for election outside of the present
sections. It may well be that your greatest contribution will be to help us
to organize this new group and, if a new section were later set up, you might
wish then to transfer your membership from the Botanical Section to this new
group.

I would suggest that you discuss the problem of which section to join
with Perry Wilson and President Fred before you join any section than that
of Botany.

With my best regards,
Sy ure

David R. Goddard SC

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