TREASURY DEPARTMENT
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

IN REPLYING WASH l N GTON

ADDRESS THE SURGEON GENERAL,
U. S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
AND REFER TO

 

PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL
Medical Officer in Charge,
United States Narcotic Parm,
Lexington, Kentucky.

Sir:

   

. preved

I am enclosing herewith the complete file, con-
sisting of special reports rendered by Dr. Himmelsbach on
studies of dihydrodesoxymorphine-D, being part of a co-
operative study with the Committee on Drug Addiction of
the National Research Council. The matter is being referred
to you in order that you may have first-hand information as
to the situation to be described below.

When the Chemistry Unit at the University of
Virginia had discovered dihydrodesoxymorphine-D and referred
the matter for biological studies to the unit at Ann Arbor,
Michigan, certain statements in published articles made by
the latter, including press statements, and a statement made
by Mr. Anslinger before the Drug Manufacturers! Association
and before the League of Nations, gave an impetus to the
value of dihydrodesoxymorphine-D which seemed unwarranted
from the facts then available. Dr. Eddy at Ann Arbor was
mich inclined to believe that the substance had no addiction
liability because he was unable to demonstrate addiction in
monkeys, and after the preliminary study was made at Leaven-
worth in relation to its satisfying addiction, he was much
upset, and insisted that the situation of withdrawal symptoms
was not an index of addiction liability, but that material
should be used which heretofore had never developed a toler-
ance to the phenanthrene series.

At great trouble and expense the Service undertook
special studies in connection with cancer in Massachusetts,
the details of which can be explained by Dr. Himmelsbach.

Dr. Eddy, in cooperation with Dr. Seiver in Michigan,
has undertaken intensive observation of the administration
of this substance to monkeys, and it is understood that they
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have prepared a recent article wherein it is claimed that
dihydrodesoxymorphine~D is not addicting, at least to the
primates.

The attitude of Dr. Edmunds, who is Professor of
Pharmacology at Ann Arbor, and Dr. Eddy, has tended to
belittle the observations made by Dr. Himmelsbach on the
human reaction, which, after all, is our problem, rather
than the interpretation of addiction liability of substances
as seen in lower animals. There is a suggestion that Eddy's
attitude is one to belittle the observations of the Service,
and the relationships have not been pleasing.

In anticipation of a meeting of the Drug Committee
to be held in Washington some time the latter part of November,
it seems desirable to review not only the work of Dr. Small
and Dr. Eddy, but also the work of Dr. Himmelsbach, in
relation to his determining the addiction liability of the
new substances that have been referred to the Public Health
Service for that purpose, the Drug Committee having requested
the Service to undertake that phase of the work. Other in-
vestigative studies that are under way or contemplated need
not enter into the matter at all.

In order to iron out the situation outlined above,
I have agreed with Dr. White, who is Chairman of the Committee,
that the two of us, accompanied by Dr. Eddy and Dr. Small,
will visit Lexington on October 15th, 16th and possibly the
17th, for the purpose of ironing out these differences, and
in anticipation of that meeting I would like to have Dr.
Himmelsbach prepare a report combining the observations made
at the Penitentiary Annex and those made in Massachusetts
on the addiction liability of dihydrodesoxymorphine-D as
seen in the human being. It is very probable that these
differences could be ironed out by this conference, and that
a combined report could be submitted to the annual meenius
of the Drug Committee late in November.

The file which I am enclosing is the property of
the Bureau and it should all be returned intact when it has
served the above purpose.

It is probable that you may want to be the hospitable
host for this group when they visit Lexington, but I think that
would be an imposition upon you personally, and since the Drug
Committee will pay their expenses I think it no more than right
and proper that they go to the hotel in Lexington. We shall
( | -3.- (

plan to leave here the night of the 14th and arrive on the
early morning train the 15th. If there are any further
inquiries concerning this proposed meeting, will you please
write me in order that I can amplify the above statement.

With kindest personal regards.

Sincerely,

WHE

Assistant Surgeon General,
Division of Mental Hygiene.

WLT: Jf

Enclosure.

P. S. I may add that the Public Health Service is of the
opinion that dihydrodesoxymorphine-D is a very dangerous sub-
stance, and intends to recommend to the Secretary of the
Treasury that no firm be licensed in the United States for
the manufacture, sale or distribution of the drug. The .
Government's attitude with reference to this matter naturally
puts quite a crimp in the Ann Arbor group, and I think they |
are much piqued by their premature endorsement of the sub-
stance, which has been transferred,+o criticism and condemna-
tion of the Service observations. w ¢ che) ac -