December 26, 1974

Dr. Gunther St

Department of Molecular Biology
University of California
Berkeley, California 94720

Dear Gunther,

Calvin Ward told me the other day that he had once had a lecture
or seminar from you concerning theoretical predictions about the maximum
possible rate of growth of bacteria. If you can give me any detail or
references on this subject, I would apprectate it very much.

Besides the theoretical side of this question I am also interested
in finding empirical studies on maximm achievable growth rates. Some of
the numbers that are recorded in the literature are incredible and in
fact probably false but I would be interested to know what your own
perspective on that is. I believe I heard that Vielmetter may have done
some work that bears on this question.

Yours with best wishes,

JL/rr