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DEPARTMENT OF BACTERIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
THE HAMILTON KING MEEK MEMORIAL LABORATORY

LV cere

THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO
FACULTY OF MEDIGINE

   

375 SOUTH STREET,
LONDON, CANADA

March 10, 1954

Dr. Joshua Lederberg,

Department cf Genetics,
College of Agriculture,
University of Wisconsin,
MADISON 6, Wis., U.S.A.

Dear Lederberg:

Many thanks for sending me a most interesting batch
of reprints; they sre appreciated.

I would be very interested to know how you are getting
along with the cytologicai problem. We have been doing
some more studies of nuciear structure of gram negatives;
Sh. sonnei, Sh. dysenterize ana E. coli C in particuler.
These make an interesting series because the nuclear struc-
tures of each are recognizably different although the
generel plun is the same. In my opinion the major difference
lies in the volume of the achromatic "core". In E. coli ©
this "core" is so big taat the chromatin is almost entirely
at the periphery of the cell. Shige is intermediate and
Sonne is the usual coliform. Jim Whitfield has been doing
a detailed phase study and he concludes thet tne individual
chromatin collections in a4 single organelle divide independently
of each other!

I woula apprecizte nearing more of the reasons that
prompted the change in buffer pH for staining with Giemsa. We
have not had any difficulties that would force us to change,
but maybe we are missing something.

I hear that you are joining the Editorial Board of the J.
Bact. It is interesting, but, ccometimes, demanding work; it
is amazing how often it is necessary to re-examine one's own
Dr. Joshua Lederberg - page 2

convictions! I have acquirea a further headache because

we are sterting up a Canadian Journal of Microbiology. Maybe
you will consicer sending us 4 paper; we nave no wish to make
it a purely Canadian affairl

With best regards,

Yours sincerely,

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RGEM: mj Rs G. E. Murray, m.D.
Professer