AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Operating under the
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

2101 ConsTITUTION AVENUE
Wasuincton 25, D.C.

 

TELEPHONE: EXEcuTIVE 8100

COMMITTEE ON HANDBOOK OF BIOLOGICAL DATA

June 12, 1951

Dr. Joshua Lederberg

Associate Professor of Genetics
The University of Wisconsin
Department of Geretics

Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Doctor Lederberg:

This is in belated reply to your letter of April 9. Please
accept my apology for the delay. We are very far behind in Handbook
correspomence,

In regard to the topic, "Nutrient Requirements of Bacteria,"
and the coverage desired, I should explain that for all organisms,
both plant and animal, we are hoping to get certain standard informa~
tion, with modifications that may be made necessary in view of the
availability or lack of availability of data. Fundamentally, we
should like to know the quantity (by weight) of water, oxygen {in
each of the amino acids or the protein, lipids, carbohydrates,
each of the minerals and each of the vitamins made use of per unit
of weight of the organism per appropriate time interval, together
with the range of temperature permissible in the normal life of
the organism and its erergy "consumption" in calories. We at once
run into necessary modification of this gereral pattern when it
comes to plants grown in nutrient solutions and in such an instance
we would be obliged to accept data on the concentrations of the
various nutrients offered to the organism Yas perhaps even more
important than the quantity utilized. In your own field, I am
sure that other modifications would have to be made in the overall
pattern. Our Committee would much appreciate having your views on
just what would be practicable,

You understand that we much depend upon the contributor to do the
selecting of the organisms upon which data are given. All we can do
is to lay before the contributor as a guide in such selection that he
regard the organism as of sufficient importance either scientifically
or economically or as typical of its class, to warrant including it.
Certainly in the field of bacteriology, clinical importance would have
to be added.

In the light of this brief discussion, are you willing to umertake
to submit data within this area? If you are, or even if you are not,
I would appreciate having your views as to what would be a practicable
handling of the problem in this area. I should add that we make rather
liberal use of footnotes to tables to indicate method of measurenent
and any important conditions under which the observations were made,
and the effects of deviations from these standard comitions,.

Thank you for supplying the names of Dr. B.C.J. Knight and Dr.
W. H. Peterson. Would it not be possible for you and Dr. Peterson
to collaborate?

Please let me hear from you with any further advice that you
feel would be helpful, as we must depemi upon just such advice in
orienting ourselves toward the special problems in the special
areas,

Simerely yours,

ERRETT 0. RITTON

Editor of the Handbook
and Executive Secretary
of the Committee

BCA: bk