DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

 

IN REPLYING, ADDRESS THE

Communicable Disease Contes April 25, 1956

Enteric Bacteriology Lab. i
P.O. Box 185 id oratories

Chamblea, Georgia

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Joshua:

Thank you very much for your letter of April 25. Now that
you see the predicament I am in regard to commitments, [ am sure you
will understand why I would prefer to wait until all of these
activities are over before I make any further promises about going
anywhere. Therefore, if it is agreeable to you I will write you
shortly after the middle of July and give you a definite answer.

I hope this is satisfactory. at the moment I have developed a
phobia about saying that I will go anywhere or do anything.

Kauffmann is being brought to a joint meeting of the
Canadian and American Societies of Medical Technologists by
Lederle. He is to give the principal paper in the symposium there
in which I also am supposed to take part. When I said that it
might be the last time that I will see him I meant only that we
were both getting a little old. In regard to Felix, not only was
the Vi vaccine a disappointment but the International Committee for
Enteric Phage Typing also is in a mess. The latter situation is due
largely to dissatisfaction of American workers.

As to typhoid vaccine, I believe the data show that morbidity
is reduced by it but that it is not an absolute preventive. as to the
Wisconsin typhoid "epidemic", there seems to be an increase in the
number of typhoid cases which are occurring in the Midwestern states,
particularly, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The cause is unknown. At
first candy was suspected and we have examined about 50 pounds of
that. Now they are talking about cheese but I do not know whether
there is any real basis for their suspicions.

‘ith kindest regards, I am

Sincerely yours,

Philip R. Edwards