The Joshua Lederberg Papers

Title:

Letter from Francis J. Ryan to Joshua Lederberg

Description:

Item is handwritten.

Number of Image Pages:

4 (344,803 Bytes)

Date:

1946-03 (March 1946)

Creator:

Ryan, Francis J.

Recipient:

Lederberg, Joshua

Rights:

Reproduced with permission of Elizabeth Ryan.

Exhibit Category:

The Development of Bacterial Genetics

Relation:

Lederberg Grouping: Correspondence A

Box Number: 6

Folder Number: 53

Unique Identifier:

BBGAAC

Accession Number:

Document Type:

Letters (correspondence)

Language:

English

Format:

application/pdf

image/tif

Series: Correspondence, 1935-2002

SubSeries: 1925-1947

Folder: Ryan, Francis J.

Transcript:

Dear Josh,

Had the paper typed up and have drawn the figures. Marcus thought it was good.

Schrader thought it was unavoidably hard to read. Suggested an expanded summary with more emphasis. Sally will read it tonight. I'll hold off sending you a copy until it is revised.

With regard to acknowledgements:

1. I don't think either Beadle or Lil need to be thanked. Beadle has been thanked before for leucineless and his role in this development.

[END PAGE ONE]

[BEGIN PAGE TWO]

After all the nature of the paper itself is going to make it part of Beadle and Tatums [sic] "work." I feel that either Lil contributes enough to a job to be an author or not. I don't want to acknowledge paid technical help unless its [sic] really significant. Brand found out from Miller that the OSRD need not be mentioned. The same for your drug company grant. The same, according to Dunn, for the Rockefeller grant. The only person who might possibly be mentioned is Brand -- but how did he help. I think we'll acknowledge no one. Reading other persons manuscripts is part of ones job in a dept. -- thats [sic] assumed.

After our names I have written Dept of Zoology and College of Physicians

[END PAGE TWO]

[BEGIN PAGE THREE]

and Surgeons. The Dept. of Biochemistry contributed nothing to the work.

I don't know now whether I'll be able to get the chemical analysis of leucine, or the bioassay completed in time. Our Fries is atrocious. I don't know what has happened but one of our bottles of salts contributes dirt that looks like floor sweepings or tobacco. We are getting fresh chemicals. I may be able to demonstrate leucine in the adapted by chemical means. That is the most impt. point anyway since I think your idea of sensitivity to leucineless in wild type and adapted stocks is the most sensitive physiological criterion.

What the hell is an alkylating agent? Never heard of one. I personally

new word, no doubt?

[END PAGE THREE]

[BEGIN PAGE FOUR]

think a study of back mutations in Ed's mustard mutants would add very little to our knowledge of mutations. However, if we have time we might run a Delbruck. So send us an a.a. culture.

Also dont [sic] forget your triple mutant. And the leucine absorption data. I found my Regnery paper in a notebook of yours that you left behind on your desk. I have enclosed a list of a few unfinished businesses of yours. Reflect on it some time.

Hope by now you have gotten started. See you soon,

Sincerely

Francis.

Metadata Last Modified Date:

2007-01-11

Annotation by Joshua Lederberg:

KW:  P-1 ms., (Neurospora reversion); Marcus Rhoades or LC Dunn
probable submitters to PNAS; Sally [Hughes Schrader?  Moore?]
Beadle (re acknowledgments; Lillian Schneider (lab asst.);
Brand; Miller; OSRD; Rockefeller Foundation;
"Fries" (salts medium); need to prove that leucine is present in the
leucine+ revertants (contra dispensing with it in metabolism).

"What's an alkylating agent! Never heard of one. New word no doubt".

Ed Tatum's mustard-induced mutants in E. coli -- ??? study reversion?

refer to some paper by Regnery;

jl 2/12/99

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