JOHN E. PFEIFFER
NEW HOPE, PA, ° February 13, 1960

Dear Joshua Lederberg,

Just a note to let you know that I'm still trying to wake
Stanford and meet you. (Bhat means getting someone to
send me on the trip !)

Algo, ever since reading your "Genes and Antibodies" for
the first time I've been trying to translate imz it into
terms of human memory. Oould there be a wide variety of
genetically different strains of nerve cells, glial as
well as neuronal, producing mmany species of cerebral
proteins that might do for memory traces what antibodies
do for antigens? A remembered event, actual or imagined,
could create a new foreign pemkmknxmx compound or a number
of such compounds, an antigen of a sort or a number of
antigens. In short, an elective theory for instinctive
behavior and an instructive theory for intelligent learned
behavior-—-with the elective theory perhaps accounting for
more than we like to believe. I'm sure you've thought
along these lines and this is one thing I want to discuss
with you some day.

Have finished a series of four DNA-RNA-protein synthesis
articles which won't be published until spring. Will send
copies for your criticism and amusement thene

Yours,

> RO pr
a life