January 15, 1964

Profeasor Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetica
Medical School

Stanford University
Stanford, California

Dear Joshua:
Thanks for your letter of Dec. 31.

I will make plans to vieit Stanford during the week of March 16-20
and leave the exact days open until nearer that time so that I can change
it if needed. It really makes no difference whether I go via Caltech or
@irectly. Should you develop a preference for days please let me know.
You could advise me ase to the best way to get from San Francisco to Stanford.

I read with interest the material that you included with your letter.
I know little of computers, although I have just begun a short course in
Fortran. There is a 709 in Boulder which is now linked by wire to the
Medical Center and there is a computer facility planned for the Center
itself some day.

In your "Instrumentation Crises" I note the section on Colony counter
with special interest. Several years ago Leonard Lerman tinkered with this
problem and made a partial solution by growing pneumococcus in soft agar
in teflon tubing (sample enclosed). Counting was achieved by running the
tubing in front of a photo cell. Inoculation was made into liquid agar and
& volume aspirated into the tubing. Leonard said he was not able to solve
sealing the tubes well after filling. This worked pretty well for pneumo
which grows without oxygen but some other tubing might be desirable for an
aerobe. It might be possible to make an indicator medium which could be
utilized. Of course the auccess of the whole thing depends on a standard
bore to the tubing.

Best wishes.

Sincerely yours,

M, L. Morse, Ph.D.
Associate Profeseor of
Biophysics
MLM 3 1bm
Enel.