DEPARTMENT OF BACTERIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
BE SNAFVSH-SEREES
BOSTON 13, MASSACHUSETTS

December 10, 1957

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin

Dear Joshua:
Welcome back from our antipodeg.

Three years ago, when Howard Mueller died, a group of his students and
associates set up a fund to make possible a series of annual lectures

in his memory. Nothing was done about starting this series during the
intervening period, but I am anxious to have the first lecture during my
first year here, and to arrange for a particularly Oe BEE Shed speaker.

The other senior members of the department all agreed, at you would be

the ideal person for the job. While Dr. Mueller himself was not a geneticist
he grasped much better than most people of his generation the importance of
the new developments in bacterial genetics, and he encouraged a number of his
graduate students to do their theses on biochemical applications of bacterial
mutants.

I realize that you have been away for a long while, and probably are anxious

to settle in the lab for awhile. I wish we could have arranged this invita-

tion in time to take advantage of your trip East for a Harvey lecture, but
unfortunately the whole matter of the Mueller memorial lectures did not come

to my attention until quite recently. I would consider it a great personal

favor if you would accept our invitation, and I hope you wild be able to spend enough
time here to see a bit of Harvard Medical School.

The date could be arranged at your convenience. I would suggest sometime before
the middle of March since I will probably have to be away during much of the
second half of March, and various national meetings start piling up after that.
If you could let me know approximately when you might be able to come, I will
let you know just what days would be free. Our department seminars are held

on Tuesday afternoons, but other days of the week could also be arranged.

The lecture will carry an honorarium of #100 plus travel expenses. Liz and I
look forward, of course, to your staying with us, and hope that Esther can
come along with you.
I hope you had a good time in Australia. Best regards to Esther,
Sincerely,
Pare
Bernard D. Davis
Head of Department