WEBVTT 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:24.269 ladies and gentlemen welcome to the 00:00:20.930 --> 00:00:27.960 celebration of Joshua Lederberg as with 00:00:24.269 --> 00:00:29.670 most of our distinguished speakers if I 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:31.230 tell you all the good things about Alexa 00:00:29.670 --> 00:00:34.950 McCray it will take away from her talk 00:00:31.230 --> 00:00:37.260 significantly but in summary in some 00:00:34.950 --> 00:00:39.629 Alexa did a wonderful job as director a 00:00:37.260 --> 00:00:41.309 list of Hill she left many friends and 00:00:39.629 --> 00:00:45.570 we are very very glad that she's come 00:00:41.309 --> 00:00:47.760 back at present I think she really it's 00:00:45.570 --> 00:00:49.620 fair to say left retired from government 00:00:47.760 --> 00:00:52.980 in order to look forward to enjoying 00:00:49.620 --> 00:00:55.500 Boston and Lexington and up there wise 00:00:52.980 --> 00:00:58.620 people at Boston Medical Harvard Medical 00:00:55.500 --> 00:01:00.449 School on the county library prevailed 00:00:58.620 --> 00:01:03.270 upon her to get back to work it's 00:01:00.449 --> 00:01:05.580 probably good for the field and so she's 00:01:03.270 --> 00:01:08.850 a lecturer in medicine at the Medical 00:01:05.580 --> 00:01:11.220 School and she's a deputy director of 00:01:08.850 --> 00:01:13.229 the count way Library which is of course 00:01:11.220 --> 00:01:16.020 one of the country's most distinguished 00:01:13.229 --> 00:01:19.500 and beautiful so we're very pleased that 00:01:16.020 --> 00:01:23.280 you've filling in those slots in Boston 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:24.840 area about this particular project Alexa 00:01:23.280 --> 00:01:27.689 did a number of swell things when she 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:31.350 was here personally in leadership roles 00:01:27.689 --> 00:01:34.229 for the law library unified medical 00:01:31.350 --> 00:01:37.439 language was a major project for her and 00:01:34.229 --> 00:01:40.290 for me as well and of course she ended 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:42.659 up initially that the creator of 00:01:40.290 --> 00:01:44.490 clinical trials that go but both of 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:47.700 those things we won't talk about today 00:01:44.490 --> 00:01:51.259 and the third thing namely profiles in 00:01:47.700 --> 00:01:54.960 science we will talk about now initially 00:01:51.259 --> 00:01:56.930 she and I wanted to make a new idea for 00:01:54.960 --> 00:01:59.759 the way you do history of Medicine 00:01:56.930 --> 00:02:02.070 something that was alive and interactive 00:01:59.759 --> 00:02:03.899 and could grow and you have constant 00:02:02.070 --> 00:02:06.479 access to the papers of documents or 00:02:03.899 --> 00:02:09.750 whatever and no one had really done it 00:02:06.479 --> 00:02:11.690 and so our test case actually was 00:02:09.750 --> 00:02:15.320 regional medical programs 00:02:11.690 --> 00:02:16.580 collection.we shows that because it had 00:02:15.320 --> 00:02:18.920 already had a 25th anniversary 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:21.170 celebration here at the library there 00:02:18.920 --> 00:02:23.990 were many contributors to it certainly 00:02:21.170 --> 00:02:28.580 it wasn't in any emergency state that we 00:02:23.990 --> 00:02:31.610 had a real deadline so it allowed her 00:02:28.580 --> 00:02:34.190 Alexa and the research group that in 00:02:31.610 --> 00:02:37.160 that case as with this profile involved 00:02:34.190 --> 00:02:41.480 both the list the hill researchers and 00:02:37.160 --> 00:02:43.760 history Madison folk and the only 00:02:41.480 --> 00:02:47.120 problem was that basically Alexa had to 00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:48.950 invent all 100% of the software to 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:51.080 actually do this regional medical 00:02:48.950 --> 00:02:53.270 program piece of history 00:02:51.080 --> 00:02:56.210 it just was nothing you could go out and 00:02:53.270 --> 00:02:58.670 buy so it took a little longer than we 00:02:56.210 --> 00:03:01.550 had initially expected but on the other 00:02:58.670 --> 00:03:03.650 hand by time the opportunity to receive 00:03:01.550 --> 00:03:05.960 the contributions of Josh Lederberg came 00:03:03.650 --> 00:03:08.210 along she was really loaded for bear and 00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:08.720 really knew how to do it so it right the 00:03:08.210 --> 00:03:10.520 first time 00:03:08.720 --> 00:03:12.410 by then there was a little bit more 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:15.200 commercial software that you could lay 00:03:12.410 --> 00:03:19.640 hands on so I won't say more about that 00:03:15.200 --> 00:03:21.620 she's here to tell you Joshua Lederberg 00:03:19.640 --> 00:03:24.470 himself of course is one of the great 00:03:21.620 --> 00:03:28.300 icons of American biomedicine and a 00:03:24.470 --> 00:03:32.780 perfectly wonderful person so you should 00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:35.300 understand that when we say giving his 00:03:32.780 --> 00:03:39.370 papers it sounds a little passive and 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:42.980 later Berg is not a passive type so 00:03:39.370 --> 00:03:45.980 giving doing any project with dr. lader 00:03:42.980 --> 00:03:49.970 Berg means email two or three times a 00:03:45.980 --> 00:03:52.070 day that's his style and in the 00:03:49.970 --> 00:03:54.950 particular case of the later Berg papers 00:03:52.070 --> 00:03:57.050 he participated down to the most detail 00:03:54.950 --> 00:03:59.269 possible level of annotation and 00:03:57.050 --> 00:04:01.430 critiquing our terminology and taxonomy 00:03:59.269 --> 00:04:02.980 and approach and testing it and I mean 00:04:01.430 --> 00:04:07.459 it was it was wonderful 00:04:02.980 --> 00:04:09.530 the price that we paid I guess is worth 00:04:07.459 --> 00:04:11.209 it but I always regretted it somewhat 00:04:09.530 --> 00:04:13.820 too because the price that we paid is 00:04:11.209 --> 00:04:16.430 that he could tell himself that I'm off 00:04:13.820 --> 00:04:18.609 the hook for doing an autobiography the 00:04:16.430 --> 00:04:21.039 heck with it but somebody else do it 00:04:18.609 --> 00:04:24.280 and so he really very consciously 00:04:21.039 --> 00:04:27.550 invested that amount of time in helping 00:04:24.280 --> 00:04:30.180 to make the contributions than LMB very 00:04:27.550 --> 00:04:32.319 very accessible and very very well 00:04:30.180 --> 00:04:37.000 described I guess would be a simplest 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:39.129 way to put it so Alexa what about her 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:41.860 well she got a doctoral degree 00:04:39.129 --> 00:04:44.470 Georgetown she was on the faculty for a 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:47.409 while she was but I actually first met 00:04:44.470 --> 00:04:49.330 her she was on the Thomas J Watson IBM 00:04:47.409 --> 00:04:51.789 Research Center at the New York town and 00:04:49.330 --> 00:04:55.270 no doubt she is doing a great job and 00:04:51.789 --> 00:04:57.190 we're delighted that she decided to come 00:04:55.270 --> 00:04:58.900 to National Library of Medicine 00:04:57.190 --> 00:05:10.060 but delighted you've come back for this 00:04:58.900 --> 00:05:11.650 nice occasion welcome Alexa well I'm 00:05:10.060 --> 00:05:12.789 delighted to be back here so thank you 00:05:11.650 --> 00:05:15.069 very much done for that nice 00:05:12.789 --> 00:05:16.919 introduction so today what I'd like to 00:05:15.069 --> 00:05:19.840 do is I'd like to talk to you about 00:05:16.919 --> 00:05:24.219 Joshua Lederberg and I'd like to talk to 00:05:19.840 --> 00:05:26.229 you about letter Berg as a man of 00:05:24.219 --> 00:05:30.069 science sort of I would say the 00:05:26.229 --> 00:05:34.000 prototypical man of science so how did 00:05:30.069 --> 00:05:38.020 he come to be that way he had a running 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:41.710 start he was born in 1925 he was the son 00:05:38.020 --> 00:05:45.279 of V letter Berg and Esther goldenbaum 00:05:41.710 --> 00:05:49.930 letter Berg who came from a family of 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:52.840 scholars herself at age seven he had to 00:05:49.930 --> 00:05:55.330 write a little essay in school and he 00:05:52.840 --> 00:05:56.500 decided that what he was interested in 00:05:55.330 --> 00:05:58.120 doing in other words the question is 00:05:56.500 --> 00:06:00.969 probably was something like what would 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:03.219 you like to do in the future in your 00:06:00.969 --> 00:06:05.469 life well he wanted to discover a few 00:06:03.219 --> 00:06:09.539 theories of science like Einstein this 00:06:05.469 --> 00:06:12.279 is at the age of seven at age 16 in 1941 00:06:09.539 --> 00:06:15.039 he began undergraduate studies at 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:16.659 Columbia and he was also in the Naval 00:06:15.039 --> 00:06:19.569 Reserve think about what the time was 00:06:16.659 --> 00:06:23.199 this was during World War two so he was 00:06:19.569 --> 00:06:26.469 in the Naval Reserve at age 19 he began 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:28.680 medical school at Columbia University 00:06:26.469 --> 00:06:32.669 College of Physicians and Surgeons 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:34.680 at age 21 he was a research fellow with 00:06:32.669 --> 00:06:37.620 Professor Edward Tatum which was going 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:42.990 to have an incredible effect on his 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:47.910 career at Yale getting the PhD in 1947 00:06:42.990 --> 00:06:50.400 and at age 22 he began as an assistant 00:06:47.910 --> 00:06:53.970 professor at the University of Wisconsin 00:06:50.400 --> 00:06:56.970 now when you do that and you have this 00:06:53.970 --> 00:06:59.430 kind of a running start this is what you 00:06:56.970 --> 00:07:02.490 can expect at age 33 which is the 00:06:59.430 --> 00:07:04.710 telegram that comes in that says the 00:07:02.490 --> 00:07:07.650 Carolina Institute has decided to award 00:07:04.710 --> 00:07:10.199 this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or 00:07:07.650 --> 00:07:11.970 medicine with 1/2 - well Beadle and 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:14.310 Tatum and so forth and so on and the 00:07:11.970 --> 00:07:16.560 other half to you for your discoveries 00:07:14.310 --> 00:07:18.539 concerning genetic recombination in the 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:22.280 organization of the genetic material of 00:07:18.539 --> 00:07:26.660 bacteria so this is at the age of 33 in 00:07:22.280 --> 00:07:29.250 1958 so let's back up a little bit so he 00:07:26.660 --> 00:07:33.000 his parents letter Berg's parents 00:07:29.250 --> 00:07:35.099 emigrated to New York from Israel in the 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:36.960 early 1920s I already mentioned that his 00:07:35.099 --> 00:07:39.360 father was a rabbi and his mother came 00:07:36.960 --> 00:07:41.760 from a distinguished series of 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:44.669 rabbinical scholars he was the oldest of 00:07:41.760 --> 00:07:46.500 three sons so he was number one he lived 00:07:44.669 --> 00:07:49.409 in the Washington Heights area of 00:07:46.500 --> 00:07:50.909 Manhattan where as he said later the 00:07:49.409 --> 00:07:53.220 whole family became a part of an 00:07:50.909 --> 00:07:55.530 efficient and calculated system of 00:07:53.220 --> 00:07:58.680 Americanization so they quickly became 00:07:55.530 --> 00:08:02.130 Americanized as they came to the United 00:07:58.680 --> 00:08:05.039 States he read he was reading everything 00:08:02.130 --> 00:08:07.199 in sight at a very early age and was 00:08:05.039 --> 00:08:10.650 reading well beyond the reading level of 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:13.800 most of the children of his of his age 00:08:10.650 --> 00:08:15.630 group so here's the essay that I have 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:18.690 already mentioned and I've teased him 00:08:15.630 --> 00:08:22.349 about this because he got a B+ he got a 00:08:18.690 --> 00:08:24.500 B+ okay well you can probably see why 00:08:22.349 --> 00:08:26.729 you got a B+ look at that penmanship 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:27.930 just look at that penmanship you 00:08:26.729 --> 00:08:31.139 probably should have gotten a b-minus 00:08:27.930 --> 00:08:32.520 alone for the penmanship so here it is 00:08:31.139 --> 00:08:33.630 what I would like to be I would like to 00:08:32.520 --> 00:08:35.789 be a scientist 00:08:33.630 --> 00:08:37.560 slightly misspelled of mathematics like 00:08:35.789 --> 00:08:40.080 Einstein I would study science and 00:08:37.560 --> 00:08:44.420 discover a few theories in science 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:46.290 and it's dated as you can see June 20th 00:08:44.420 --> 00:08:49.950 1932 which is when you would have been 00:08:46.290 --> 00:08:51.060 seven and you see this his name at the 00:08:49.950 --> 00:08:53.580 top of the page 00:08:51.060 --> 00:08:55.830 well it's Joshua Solomon first of all 00:08:53.580 --> 00:08:58.950 it's slightly misspelled letter Berg and 00:08:55.830 --> 00:09:01.620 I found out that Solomon was actually 00:08:58.950 --> 00:09:03.600 just an expectation this kid at 7 years 00:09:01.620 --> 00:09:04.350 old had an affectation this was not his 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:06.210 middle name 00:09:04.350 --> 00:09:10.410 he doesn't happen he doesn't have a 00:09:06.210 --> 00:09:13.500 middle name so Joshua Solomon letter 00:09:10.410 --> 00:09:17.430 bird at the age of 7 but as we see I 00:09:13.500 --> 00:09:19.260 mean he got a B+ so you know he also of 00:09:17.430 --> 00:09:22.410 course had a very early interest in 00:09:19.260 --> 00:09:23.730 science he was and I this is delightful 00:09:22.410 --> 00:09:26.270 and this is a thread throughout his 00:09:23.730 --> 00:09:30.030 career he's been a regular patron of 00:09:26.270 --> 00:09:31.680 public libraries throughout his life so 00:09:30.030 --> 00:09:34.620 he went to the local branch of the New 00:09:31.680 --> 00:09:36.540 York Public Library as an adolescent at 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:38.640 13 at his Bar Mitzvah 00:09:36.540 --> 00:09:40.200 he received the brand-new book was only 00:09:38.640 --> 00:09:42.270 a year old introduction to physiological 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:45.870 chemistry of a minor but it competence 00:09:42.270 --> 00:09:48.150 key and it was already at that young age 00:09:45.870 --> 00:09:51.780 that he was deciding not to go the 00:09:48.150 --> 00:09:54.030 rabbinical route of his ancestors of his 00:09:51.780 --> 00:09:54.390 father and of his mother's family and so 00:09:54.030 --> 00:09:57.750 on 00:09:54.390 --> 00:10:00.300 and of course he had to yet to negotiate 00:09:57.750 --> 00:10:02.310 this with his with his father who was 00:10:00.300 --> 00:10:05.280 expecting him especially as the oldest 00:10:02.310 --> 00:10:08.760 to follow more or less in his footsteps 00:10:05.280 --> 00:10:10.680 footsteps so he says here it was my 00:10:08.760 --> 00:10:12.870 covenant with my father that a career in 00:10:10.680 --> 00:10:14.640 science would be a redeeming surrogate 00:10:12.870 --> 00:10:16.680 for the study of the Torah an 00:10:14.640 --> 00:10:21.210 alternative approach to enlightenment 00:10:16.680 --> 00:10:23.640 and truth and I think that that he 00:10:21.210 --> 00:10:25.650 speaks he means that he's it's a it's a 00:10:23.640 --> 00:10:29.820 deep statement for him to say that that 00:10:25.650 --> 00:10:32.220 this is the approach to enlightenment 00:10:29.820 --> 00:10:36.930 and truth and I think he lived his life 00:10:32.220 --> 00:10:38.670 that way so now at the age of 16 he had 00:10:36.930 --> 00:10:40.230 the opportunity because he was just as 00:10:38.670 --> 00:10:44.160 he was just graduating from high school 00:10:40.230 --> 00:10:45.520 he had the opportunity to become a young 00:10:44.160 --> 00:10:48.160 scholar at the 00:10:45.520 --> 00:10:50.260 and Institute Science Laboratory which 00:10:48.160 --> 00:10:51.640 drew on a lot of the young people from 00:10:50.260 --> 00:10:53.830 the Stuyvesant High School which of 00:10:51.640 --> 00:10:56.170 course was a high school in New York a 00:10:53.830 --> 00:10:58.600 science high school and was for the 00:10:56.170 --> 00:11:00.850 brightest of the bright really here and 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:03.070 the application form asked a number of 00:11:00.850 --> 00:11:04.570 questions including what kinds of 00:11:03.070 --> 00:11:08.700 courses have you taken since the eighth 00:11:04.570 --> 00:11:11.070 grade in in the sciences basically and 00:11:08.700 --> 00:11:12.730 here's the answer introductory biology 00:11:11.070 --> 00:11:15.310 elementary an analytic chemistry 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:16.900 elementary physics and zoology and I 00:11:15.310 --> 00:11:18.670 can't see you all very well but I'd like 00:11:16.900 --> 00:11:20.800 to you know wonder if I asked for a show 00:11:18.670 --> 00:11:23.080 of hands how many of you had taken all 00:11:20.800 --> 00:11:26.560 those courses since the eighth grade or 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:28.420 certainly by by the age of sixteen I was 00:11:26.560 --> 00:11:30.460 before myself I certainly didn't take 00:11:28.420 --> 00:11:33.850 those that number of courses and that 00:11:30.460 --> 00:11:35.140 depth of courses so there he is he's at 00:11:33.850 --> 00:11:39.030 the American Institute of Science 00:11:35.140 --> 00:11:43.060 Laboratory in 1941 at the age of sixteen 00:11:39.030 --> 00:11:45.460 working on the microtome and he's being 00:11:43.060 --> 00:11:48.730 you can see he's quite engaged in what 00:11:45.460 --> 00:11:50.500 he's doing there so of course there's 00:11:48.730 --> 00:11:54.270 certain personal characteristics that go 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:57.100 with this kind of interest and 00:11:54.270 --> 00:12:00.160 precocious meanness if you like so 00:11:57.100 --> 00:12:02.680 here's a letter from Joshua Lederberg to 00:12:00.160 --> 00:12:05.740 a professor frank Stodola who was a 00:12:02.680 --> 00:12:06.910 Columbia University into the Department 00:12:05.740 --> 00:12:08.200 of in the department of organic 00:12:06.910 --> 00:12:09.190 chemistry and basically what he's trying 00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:10.420 to do is get out of taking a 00:12:09.190 --> 00:12:13.120 prerequisite course I mean that's what 00:12:10.420 --> 00:12:15.550 it comes down to so he says I find 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:19.090 myself attracted to the possibilities of 00:12:15.550 --> 00:12:21.220 your section 42 c chem course i should 00:12:19.090 --> 00:12:23.710 not trouble to write to you except that 00:12:21.220 --> 00:12:25.800 i anticipate some technical difficulties 00:12:23.710 --> 00:12:28.960 in the manner of satisfaction of 00:12:25.800 --> 00:12:31.540 prerequisites last January I was able to 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.040 pass the final exam in chem 41 as an 00:12:31.540 --> 00:12:35.200 achievement exam on the basis of 00:12:33.040 --> 00:12:36.520 personal self instruction well when you 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:38.830 remember you read the physiology of 00:12:36.520 --> 00:12:41.230 chemistry at age 13 when my urbanovsky 00:12:38.830 --> 00:12:43.510 so I guess he felt that he had the right 00:12:41.230 --> 00:12:45.250 to write this kind of a letter but you 00:12:43.510 --> 00:12:48.250 can see it takes a certain kind of 00:12:45.250 --> 00:12:51.730 attitude about yourself to be able to 00:12:48.250 --> 00:12:54.730 write a letter of this sort to an 00:12:51.730 --> 00:12:55.990 esteemed professor at the University so 00:12:54.730 --> 00:12:56.970 you can see that he made a good 00:12:55.990 --> 00:12:58.949 impression on Frank 00:12:56.970 --> 00:13:00.509 at all and in spite of this somewhat 00:12:58.949 --> 00:13:03.540 impertinent letter 00:13:00.509 --> 00:13:05.250 he's now stood Allah is writing him a 00:13:03.540 --> 00:13:07.829 letter of reference essentially for the 00:13:05.250 --> 00:13:09.509 Naval Reserve and he goes on to say that 00:13:07.829 --> 00:13:11.009 he's probably the most brilliant student 00:13:09.509 --> 00:13:12.899 that he's ever had and so forth and so 00:13:11.009 --> 00:13:15.839 on in his particular interest is biology 00:13:12.899 --> 00:13:18.029 and what is more he should be used as an 00:13:15.839 --> 00:13:21.089 instructor and not be forced to waste 00:13:18.029 --> 00:13:23.069 his time as a student again this is at 00:13:21.089 --> 00:13:26.639 the age of eighteen and there he is in 00:13:23.069 --> 00:13:28.949 his nice uniform so he was in the Naval 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:31.939 Reserve for several years during this 00:13:28.949 --> 00:13:35.310 time period even while he was in school 00:13:31.939 --> 00:13:37.290 so the undergraduate years then from 41 00:13:35.310 --> 00:13:38.850 to 44 this is his yearbook picture that 00:13:37.290 --> 00:13:40.529 you see in the upper upper right hand 00:13:38.850 --> 00:13:43.470 corner there 00:13:40.529 --> 00:13:50.220 he entered Columbia under the tutelage 00:13:43.470 --> 00:13:53.009 of Francis J Bryan so he was he he was 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:56.180 well mentored by Ryan and that will come 00:13:53.009 --> 00:13:59.910 up again as we look throughout his life 00:13:56.180 --> 00:14:02.689 this is a quote from one of the his 00:13:59.910 --> 00:14:05.399 biographers Gilson at Columbia magazine 00:14:02.689 --> 00:14:09.209 17 year old Joshua Lederberg crashed 00:14:05.399 --> 00:14:10.649 into Ryan's life in 1942 crashed is not 00:14:09.209 --> 00:14:13.110 a hyperbole according to Elizabeth 00:14:10.649 --> 00:14:14.430 Ryan's Widow you could tell that Joshua 00:14:13.110 --> 00:14:16.379 was in the lab because you could hear 00:14:14.430 --> 00:14:17.879 the tinkle of breaking glass he 00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:20.550 frequently broke whatever he was working 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:22.769 with so there is an intensity of course 00:14:20.550 --> 00:14:24.990 in an energy but also a clumsiness that 00:14:22.769 --> 00:14:28.829 goes along with being the young person 00:14:24.990 --> 00:14:34.019 that he really still was and yet he was 00:14:28.829 --> 00:14:37.470 pushing constantly to learn and you can 00:14:34.019 --> 00:14:40.050 see that Ryan was very important in 00:14:37.470 --> 00:14:43.379 letter Berg's life as an undergraduate 00:14:40.050 --> 00:14:47.490 and mentor he says in reflecting on 00:14:43.379 --> 00:14:48.779 Francis Ryan in his eulogy in fact above 00:14:47.490 --> 00:14:51.420 all it gave me the opportunity to 00:14:48.779 --> 00:14:53.100 sharpen my adolescent thinking against 00:14:51.420 --> 00:14:56.279 one of the most versatile most generous 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:58.259 minds I would ever encounter and you 00:14:56.279 --> 00:15:00.540 know this what he goes on to say next is 00:14:58.259 --> 00:15:03.389 in fact the sign of a very good mentor 00:15:00.540 --> 00:15:05.250 he rarely instructed me about anything 00:15:03.389 --> 00:15:07.470 but would often lead me into an 00:15:05.250 --> 00:15:08.070 intellectual trap then challenged me to 00:15:07.470 --> 00:15:09.720 find my 00:15:08.070 --> 00:15:12.420 way out of it so I had to dig his own 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:15.180 way out of the intellectual trap that he 00:15:12.420 --> 00:15:20.339 had been talked into by his very fine 00:15:15.180 --> 00:15:23.130 mentor Francis Ryan I wanted to mention 00:15:20.339 --> 00:15:27.209 this paper the Avery McCleod McCarty 00:15:23.130 --> 00:15:30.690 paper of 1944 this is during the time 00:15:27.209 --> 00:15:33.389 that that Joshua Lederberg was still at 00:15:30.690 --> 00:15:36.569 Columbia and it was a groundbreaking 00:15:33.389 --> 00:15:39.180 paper on identifying DNA as what was 00:15:36.569 --> 00:15:47.250 then called the transforming factor in 00:15:39.180 --> 00:15:49.500 bacteria and the this this paper was one 00:15:47.250 --> 00:15:51.839 might say was the beginning of the 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:55.980 genetic and genomic revolution you might 00:15:51.839 --> 00:15:57.480 argue that and in fact we well I'll come 00:15:55.980 --> 00:16:00.480 back actually come back to Avery a 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:02.100 little bit later but as he says this 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:03.870 work aroused great interest as a strong 00:16:02.100 --> 00:16:06.209 indication that the gene was composed of 00:16:03.870 --> 00:16:08.100 DNA it was still controversial whether 00:16:06.209 --> 00:16:10.139 bacteria could even be thought of as 00:16:08.100 --> 00:16:12.569 having a genetics this was a 00:16:10.139 --> 00:16:15.360 controversial issue at the time so in a 00:16:12.569 --> 00:16:17.160 bull session Ryan I soon agreed that 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:19.079 would be exciting to try experiments on 00:16:17.160 --> 00:16:21.240 the possibility of a similar 00:16:19.079 --> 00:16:23.250 transforming effect of DNA in Neurospora 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:25.110 which was the organism that they were 00:16:23.250 --> 00:16:27.690 working on a fungus mold that they were 00:16:25.110 --> 00:16:30.569 working on at the time so this really 00:16:27.690 --> 00:16:33.839 spiked his interest in what was going to 00:16:30.569 --> 00:16:40.260 be a lifelong interest in genetics in 00:16:33.839 --> 00:16:42.060 particular in bacteria he entered the as 00:16:40.260 --> 00:16:44.100 I said medical graduate school he was at 00:16:42.060 --> 00:16:47.459 the Columbia University College of 00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:49.440 Physicians and Surgeons but at the time 00:16:47.459 --> 00:16:52.620 he had the opportunity because Francis 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:55.620 Ryan knew the Tatum was coming back from 00:16:52.620 --> 00:16:58.829 California to take a position at Yale 00:16:55.620 --> 00:17:02.220 and Ryan thought that it would be 00:16:58.829 --> 00:17:03.870 wonderful for Joshua young Joshua to be 00:17:02.220 --> 00:17:09.679 able to have the opportunity to study 00:17:03.870 --> 00:17:11.839 with Tatum in his lab at Yale so he 00:17:09.679 --> 00:17:14.790 requested in this letter to the 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:16.319 associate dean severing house at 00:17:14.790 --> 00:17:18.569 Columbia University College of 00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:19.939 Physicians and surgery that he be 00:17:18.569 --> 00:17:22.620 allowed to take it elec 00:17:19.939 --> 00:17:25.890 in the first quarter of his third year 00:17:22.620 --> 00:17:29.520 and he wanted to do this research at 00:17:25.890 --> 00:17:32.970 Yale with Professor Tatum so he was 00:17:29.520 --> 00:17:36.960 granted that that elective and the time 00:17:32.970 --> 00:17:38.910 to go to Yale and this is really the 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.950 origin of his groundbreaking work and 00:17:38.910 --> 00:17:43.860 really the origin of the work for which 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:47.160 he was then later awarded the Nobel 00:17:43.860 --> 00:17:50.370 Prize so what happened at that point 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:51.840 then he was there 46 and 47 he was only 00:17:50.370 --> 00:17:54.600 supposed to be there for an elective 00:17:51.840 --> 00:17:56.910 six-week or eight-week elective and the 00:17:54.600 --> 00:18:01.049 collaboration was so good that they kept 00:17:56.910 --> 00:18:04.049 asking for extensions and then letter 00:18:01.049 --> 00:18:07.110 Berg and Tatum published two important 00:18:04.049 --> 00:18:10.500 letters in this area so the first one is 00:18:07.110 --> 00:18:14.340 here in nature in 1946 gene 00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:15.900 recombination in e.coli analysis of mix 00:18:14.340 --> 00:18:18.090 cultures of nutritional mutants has 00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:19.860 revealed the presence of new types which 00:18:18.090 --> 00:18:23.010 strongly suggests the occurrence of a 00:18:19.860 --> 00:18:25.110 sexual process in the bacterium Ecola 00:18:23.010 --> 00:18:28.049 these experiments will be reported in 00:18:25.110 --> 00:18:30.750 more detail elsewhere and the second 00:18:28.049 --> 00:18:32.730 paper was also co-authored by Tatum and 00:18:30.750 --> 00:18:35.760 letter Berg this is the gene 00:18:32.730 --> 00:18:38.309 recombination in in e.coli in the 00:18:35.760 --> 00:18:40.230 Journal of bacteriology in 47 the 00:18:38.309 --> 00:18:41.610 conception that bacteria have no sexual 00:18:40.230 --> 00:18:43.950 mode of reproduction is widely 00:18:41.610 --> 00:18:45.570 entertained this paper will be devoted 00:18:43.950 --> 00:18:47.940 to the presentation of evidence from the 00:18:45.570 --> 00:18:50.280 occurrence in a bacterium of a process 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:51.809 of gene recombination from which the 00:18:50.280 --> 00:18:55.200 existence of a sexual stage may be 00:18:51.809 --> 00:18:58.230 inferred so this was very very important 00:18:55.200 --> 00:19:01.590 work and in fact Tatum already had a 00:18:58.230 --> 00:19:04.620 spot at the conference at Cold Spring 00:19:01.590 --> 00:19:06.530 Harbor in that year to report on some 00:19:04.620 --> 00:19:08.940 other work or similar work I suppose 00:19:06.530 --> 00:19:11.940 what he was doing here but because these 00:19:08.940 --> 00:19:13.770 results were so exciting to them and to 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:16.799 the folks at Cold Spring Harbor they 00:19:13.770 --> 00:19:19.830 actually gave letter Berg and tied him 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:22.980 another slot on the program to report 00:19:19.830 --> 00:19:25.640 this work is what was considered them to 00:19:22.980 --> 00:19:30.210 be still also then to be groundbreaking 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:31.660 work so so what the heck I mean here he 00:19:30.210 --> 00:19:33.550 did this work he 00:19:31.660 --> 00:19:34.870 in medical school he was doing a 00:19:33.550 --> 00:19:36.580 research fellowship and they said well 00:19:34.870 --> 00:19:38.050 we might as well just give you a PhD for 00:19:36.580 --> 00:19:40.150 the work that you've done how many 00:19:38.050 --> 00:19:42.520 people here who have PhDs that had come 00:19:40.150 --> 00:19:44.680 quite that easy to them but the one 00:19:42.520 --> 00:19:46.750 personal obstacle as he points out in 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:48.580 one of his reminiscences is that he had 00:19:46.750 --> 00:19:50.110 to pay tuition to Yale they weren't 00:19:48.580 --> 00:19:51.670 going to let him off quite that easy 00:19:50.110 --> 00:19:53.740 they said that he'd still had to fork 00:19:51.670 --> 00:19:55.870 over the dollars for the two years that 00:19:53.740 --> 00:19:58.840 he had been there but he didn't have to 00:19:55.870 --> 00:20:01.720 write a real dissertation because he had 00:19:58.840 --> 00:20:04.210 already published these papers and yeah 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:06.130 because as you know those of you who 00:20:04.210 --> 00:20:07.510 have PhDs you need to do defend your 00:20:06.130 --> 00:20:09.280 work in front of a committee and so on 00:20:07.510 --> 00:20:11.860 well the argument was made that he had 00:20:09.280 --> 00:20:14.350 defended this this work in front of an 00:20:11.860 --> 00:20:16.180 international internationally renowned 00:20:14.350 --> 00:20:19.690 group of people at Cold Spring Harbor 00:20:16.180 --> 00:20:21.820 and so he was granted he was granted the 00:20:19.690 --> 00:20:23.890 PhD and I mentioned earlier that 00:20:21.820 --> 00:20:26.920 libraries have been a quite a theme 00:20:23.890 --> 00:20:29.230 throughout Josh letter birds life and 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:31.690 here he says that he went to Woods Hole 00:20:29.230 --> 00:20:33.130 in the summer of 1947 because he had to 00:20:31.690 --> 00:20:34.420 put a little bit you know I had to wrap 00:20:33.130 --> 00:20:36.160 up the dissertation a little bit put 00:20:34.420 --> 00:20:38.410 some ribbons around it and so on 00:20:36.160 --> 00:20:40.330 but he went to Woods Hole and he spent a 00:20:38.410 --> 00:20:44.110 good deal of time at what he called the 00:20:40.330 --> 00:20:48.220 magnificent library at the MBL in order 00:20:44.110 --> 00:20:49.900 to finish his dissertation there so then 00:20:48.220 --> 00:20:52.330 he was recruited to Wisconsin and 00:20:49.900 --> 00:20:54.640 remember this is a 22 year old young 00:20:52.330 --> 00:20:58.180 person who is just you know it's two 00:20:54.640 --> 00:21:01.480 years of medical school has now just the 00:20:58.180 --> 00:21:04.150 fresh PhD and it's not that everybody 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:07.750 they are welcomed him with open arms 00:21:04.150 --> 00:21:10.090 Alexander brink was very interested in 00:21:07.750 --> 00:21:11.530 having him join and faculty because 00:21:10.090 --> 00:21:14.350 there was an opening someone had left 00:21:11.530 --> 00:21:16.870 and there was an opening and of course 00:21:14.350 --> 00:21:18.820 there were some people who wanted well 00:21:16.870 --> 00:21:22.450 many people wanted a much more seasoned 00:21:18.820 --> 00:21:26.410 investigator to come to the to the 00:21:22.450 --> 00:21:28.840 University the part of the problem was 00:21:26.410 --> 00:21:32.710 if you like or part of the issue was 00:21:28.840 --> 00:21:34.570 that the Department of Genetics is and 00:21:32.710 --> 00:21:37.270 was in the call of the College of 00:21:34.570 --> 00:21:39.310 Agriculture so one of the comments that 00:21:37.270 --> 00:21:42.250 was made and one of why there was some 00:21:39.310 --> 00:21:43.299 resistance was this is a city boy he's a 00:21:42.250 --> 00:21:45.009 city slicker what 00:21:43.299 --> 00:21:48.460 he doing in a college of agriculture 00:21:45.009 --> 00:21:49.840 basically was the idea and they just 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:51.669 didn't see that he could make himself at 00:21:49.840 --> 00:21:53.799 home in a college of agriculture having 00:21:51.669 --> 00:21:56.919 grown up in the streets of Manhattan and 00:21:53.799 --> 00:21:58.690 the fact that he was Jewish too probably 00:21:56.919 --> 00:22:00.639 was a factor in the thinking of some of 00:21:58.690 --> 00:22:04.529 our members and this was an interview 00:22:00.639 --> 00:22:08.619 with Alexander brink whom I mentioned 00:22:04.529 --> 00:22:10.899 and there were also reports that Letta 00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:13.749 Berg was aggressive to an unpleasant 00:22:10.899 --> 00:22:16.179 degree well those of you know Josh 00:22:13.749 --> 00:22:18.159 Lederberg I can't imagine referring to 00:22:16.179 --> 00:22:20.889 him as being aggressive to an unpleasant 00:22:18.159 --> 00:22:25.299 degree I can imagine referring to him as 00:22:20.889 --> 00:22:28.119 being intense but certainly as I say he 00:22:25.299 --> 00:22:30.369 was a much younger man at the time so 00:22:28.119 --> 00:22:31.749 brink and another reminiscence says we 00:22:30.369 --> 00:22:33.129 were warned that we had better look out 00:22:31.749 --> 00:22:37.690 if we had no experience in the 00:22:33.129 --> 00:22:40.749 department in lion-taming happily those 00:22:37.690 --> 00:22:42.700 fears proved groundless and he brink 00:22:40.749 --> 00:22:46.059 also said in one of the other documents 00:22:42.700 --> 00:22:48.279 that he was married in 46 when he was at 00:22:46.059 --> 00:22:51.090 Yale 2's resume arrestor zimaletto Berg 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:54.609 to whom he was married for 20 years and 00:22:51.090 --> 00:22:59.139 he was married to her and she did a fair 00:22:54.609 --> 00:23:02.200 amount of that team so he had extremely 00:22:59.139 --> 00:23:04.059 productive time at Wisconsin and on the 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:07.210 right you see some samples of his 00:23:04.059 --> 00:23:08.799 laboratory notebooks and on the left you 00:23:07.210 --> 00:23:11.830 see a couple of examples of his 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:13.779 publications there and he did quite a 00:23:11.830 --> 00:23:17.980 lot of work in collaboration with his 00:23:13.779 --> 00:23:20.350 wife during those years so he also was 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:24.039 that has been very fond throughout his 00:23:20.350 --> 00:23:25.600 career of coining terms and plasmid was 00:23:24.039 --> 00:23:28.239 one of those he's coined a number of 00:23:25.600 --> 00:23:30.759 others so he says in one of these 00:23:28.239 --> 00:23:33.220 articles these discussions have left a 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:35.350 plethora of terms adrift at the risk of 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:38.440 adding to this list I promote I propose 00:23:35.350 --> 00:23:40.749 plasmid as a generic term for any extra 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:42.909 chromosomal hereditary determinant and 00:23:40.749 --> 00:23:45.429 this was some of the what he had 00:23:42.909 --> 00:23:47.370 discovered in doing his work and I 00:23:45.429 --> 00:23:49.320 suppose that when you are 00:23:47.370 --> 00:23:51.600 you are discovering something new and 00:23:49.320 --> 00:23:53.850 there is no name you do you are in the 00:23:51.600 --> 00:23:56.970 business of according some of this 00:23:53.850 --> 00:23:59.220 terminology but Joshua Lederberg has 00:23:56.970 --> 00:24:00.960 always been very interested in language 00:23:59.220 --> 00:24:03.660 and so I can see that it gave him great 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:07.950 pleasure to do this kind of thing is to 00:24:03.660 --> 00:24:11.610 come up with just the right word for a 00:24:07.950 --> 00:24:13.470 particular concept so then we've already 00:24:11.610 --> 00:24:17.640 mentioned that he received the Nobel 00:24:13.470 --> 00:24:20.490 Prize in 1958 sharing it with Tatum with 00:24:17.640 --> 00:24:22.950 whom he worked closely and also a beetle 00:24:20.490 --> 00:24:25.710 and Tatum and B Beale each got one 00:24:22.950 --> 00:24:28.680 quarter of the Nobel Prize for their 00:24:25.710 --> 00:24:30.840 work about gene regulation and then of 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:34.260 course letter Berg got the other half 00:24:30.840 --> 00:24:36.210 for his his groundbreaking work in the 00:24:34.260 --> 00:24:39.240 genetics of bacteria in particular in 00:24:36.210 --> 00:24:40.950 particular their mating behavior oh and 00:24:39.240 --> 00:24:42.870 as you know they were they were thought 00:24:40.950 --> 00:24:46.560 bacteria were thought to be asexual up 00:24:42.870 --> 00:24:49.470 until that point and because Josh 00:24:46.560 --> 00:24:52.080 Lederberg received the Nobel Prize at 00:24:49.470 --> 00:24:55.230 such an early age he's had many many 00:24:52.080 --> 00:24:58.080 opportunities to reminisce about his 00:24:55.230 --> 00:24:59.520 career and and various decisions that 00:24:58.080 --> 00:25:01.650 he's made and so on and of course he's 00:24:59.520 --> 00:25:04.140 been highly sought after as a as a 00:25:01.650 --> 00:25:06.480 speaker and to be interviewed and and so 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:07.440 forth and it's interesting what he says 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.020 and it's something that you might 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:11.940 imagine he says it's not so appropriate 00:25:10.020 --> 00:25:14.190 for people quite so young to receive the 00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:15.510 Nobel Prize he says it might be just as 00:25:14.190 --> 00:25:19.500 well if you had to be a little bit older 00:25:15.510 --> 00:25:20.790 45 or 50 and he says he thinks he might 00:25:19.500 --> 00:25:22.650 have spent a few more years in a more 00:25:20.790 --> 00:25:23.880 focused way in the laboratory and I 00:25:22.650 --> 00:25:26.460 think he's being too hard on himself 00:25:23.880 --> 00:25:29.340 here because he's been he continued to 00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:32.100 be extremely productive even in spite of 00:25:29.340 --> 00:25:36.120 receiving the Nobel Prize at such an 00:25:32.100 --> 00:25:39.960 early age so this was in 1958 and here 00:25:36.120 --> 00:25:43.580 he is at the Nobel award ceremony you 00:25:39.960 --> 00:25:45.259 can see really how young he does look 00:25:43.580 --> 00:25:49.840 you can particularly see it when you see 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:53.090 him with the other 1958 Nobel Prize 00:25:49.840 --> 00:25:55.789 recipients so to the far right is Larry 00:25:53.090 --> 00:25:58.700 Berg himself and to the far left is 00:25:55.789 --> 00:26:01.070 beetle and then to his immediate left is 00:25:58.700 --> 00:26:06.409 Edward Tatum and then you see the others 00:26:01.070 --> 00:26:08.029 in the middle so what happened at that 00:26:06.409 --> 00:26:10.879 point was that he had already been in 00:26:08.029 --> 00:26:13.759 negotiation with Stanford Stanford was 00:26:10.879 --> 00:26:15.889 very interested in having him join their 00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:17.989 program they were just starting up a 00:26:15.889 --> 00:26:21.129 department of genetics and in fact the 00:26:17.989 --> 00:26:23.720 last two years at Wisconsin he was 00:26:21.129 --> 00:26:25.970 Joshua Lederberg was the the chair of 00:26:23.720 --> 00:26:28.759 the department of genetics at Wisconsin 00:26:25.970 --> 00:26:32.539 but he saw the opportunity at Stanford 00:26:28.759 --> 00:26:34.460 to come back to his medical roots if you 00:26:32.539 --> 00:26:37.220 like recall that he started out wanting 00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:40.070 to be a doctor and he didn't finish that 00:26:37.220 --> 00:26:42.980 he's like does not have an MD but he has 00:26:40.070 --> 00:26:45.470 always been motivated by health concerns 00:26:42.980 --> 00:26:48.289 medical concerns and so on so that you 00:26:45.470 --> 00:26:51.769 might say science in service of that to 00:26:48.289 --> 00:26:54.769 some extent to some extent and so when 00:26:51.769 --> 00:26:56.480 you saw the opportunity of joining a and 00:26:54.769 --> 00:26:59.330 chairing the Department of Genetics at 00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:02.749 Stanford within the Medical School he 00:26:59.330 --> 00:27:05.960 saw that as as a great possibility for 00:27:02.749 --> 00:27:07.999 him so he was not only a professor of 00:27:05.960 --> 00:27:09.559 genetics when you was at Stanford during 00:27:07.999 --> 00:27:12.109 the years he almost 20 years 19 years 00:27:09.559 --> 00:27:14.359 that he was at Stanford but he was also 00:27:12.109 --> 00:27:16.519 a professor of biology and a professor 00:27:14.359 --> 00:27:18.739 of computer science and have more to say 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:21.889 about that in a minute to see the 00:27:18.739 --> 00:27:23.659 genetics department in the early 1960s 00:27:21.889 --> 00:27:25.999 better bird in the back in the middle 00:27:23.659 --> 00:27:28.789 row in the in the middle of the back row 00:27:25.999 --> 00:27:32.210 and then to the right you see a picture 00:27:28.789 --> 00:27:36.559 of the of letter Berg in front of a 00:27:32.210 --> 00:27:38.929 chart for the Mariner Mars mission which 00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:41.749 it was the study of life beyond Earth 00:27:38.929 --> 00:27:43.800 and this became a very important part of 00:27:41.749 --> 00:27:48.090 his work at Stan 00:27:43.800 --> 00:27:53.810 third is the he had in fact read about 00:27:48.090 --> 00:27:56.880 and was very interested in the Sputnik 00:27:53.810 --> 00:27:59.310 Sputnik work in the in the late 1950s 00:27:56.880 --> 00:28:03.870 and the discussion about sending a man 00:27:59.310 --> 00:28:07.710 to to the moon and also exploration of 00:28:03.870 --> 00:28:13.290 Mars and so on and was was intrigued by 00:28:07.710 --> 00:28:16.350 all of that but actually recognized the 00:28:13.290 --> 00:28:19.890 issue that perhaps first of all that if 00:28:16.350 --> 00:28:22.370 we send humans into outer space that 00:28:19.890 --> 00:28:25.050 humans themselves might contaminate 00:28:22.370 --> 00:28:27.990 whatever planet they might be landing on 00:28:25.050 --> 00:28:29.550 and his feeling was that Mars you know 00:28:27.990 --> 00:28:32.220 the question was an open question is 00:28:29.550 --> 00:28:34.560 there life on Mars but he thought if 00:28:32.220 --> 00:28:37.130 there was life on Mars it surely was in 00:28:34.560 --> 00:28:40.710 the form of microorganisms because only 00:28:37.130 --> 00:28:43.410 microorganisms could could succeed and 00:28:40.710 --> 00:28:45.300 live and breed in such a hostile 00:28:43.410 --> 00:28:47.640 environment hostile environment to life 00:28:45.300 --> 00:28:49.350 so to speak so he was concerned on both 00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:53.190 sides because he was concerned that 00:28:49.350 --> 00:28:56.310 humans might contaminate the planets in 00:28:53.190 --> 00:28:58.890 their roughshod way maybe of appearing 00:28:56.310 --> 00:29:01.080 there and likewise that brings oil 00:28:58.890 --> 00:29:04.590 samples back and so on that we might 00:29:01.080 --> 00:29:06.930 bring microorganisms back to earth that 00:29:04.590 --> 00:29:09.510 could have a deleterious effect on our 00:29:06.930 --> 00:29:11.400 population on the earth itself so he 00:29:09.510 --> 00:29:14.640 took that very seriously and as he says 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:15.930 he took he took this seriously and he 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:20.640 thought it was a matter of some urgency 00:29:15.930 --> 00:29:22.920 so he with NASA support created and ran 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:26.190 the Stanford instrumentation Research 00:29:22.920 --> 00:29:29.840 Laboratory which was goal was originally 00:29:26.190 --> 00:29:32.880 to study in a very careful 00:29:29.840 --> 00:29:34.970 scientifically based way the samples 00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:38.700 that were coming back from Mars and 00:29:34.970 --> 00:29:40.530 looking to to analyze those samples 00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:43.920 carefully so there he is in his 00:29:40.530 --> 00:29:46.760 instrumentation laboratory this actually 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:48.840 led him in a very interesting way to 00:29:46.760 --> 00:29:50.710 become immersed in artificial 00:29:48.840 --> 00:29:53.140 intelligence in medicine 00:29:50.710 --> 00:29:55.630 so you might ask how that happened well 00:29:53.140 --> 00:29:57.010 what he recognized very quickly and has 00:29:55.630 --> 00:29:59.590 really always throughout his life 00:29:57.010 --> 00:30:01.660 recognized is the just the sheer volume 00:29:59.590 --> 00:30:04.420 of information that one needs to deal 00:30:01.660 --> 00:30:06.270 with in the scientific enterprise and in 00:30:04.420 --> 00:30:09.220 particular now when you were looking at 00:30:06.270 --> 00:30:11.560 soil samples and trying to understand 00:30:09.220 --> 00:30:14.050 what life and life that you might not 00:30:11.560 --> 00:30:15.640 even be able to recognize as such and so 00:30:14.050 --> 00:30:18.850 forth that you really needed some 00:30:15.640 --> 00:30:20.920 computational assistance so he did he it 00:30:18.850 --> 00:30:23.260 was quite extraordinary the group that 00:30:20.920 --> 00:30:24.940 they put together at Stanford at 00:30:23.260 --> 00:30:27.640 Feigenbaum is a chair of the computer 00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:29.980 science at Stanford called jurasky a 00:30:27.640 --> 00:30:31.810 chemist and Letta Burke himself and then 00:30:29.980 --> 00:30:34.330 later on John McCarthy and some of you 00:30:31.810 --> 00:30:36.100 some of you know it's very famous in the 00:30:34.330 --> 00:30:39.340 computer science world joined the team 00:30:36.100 --> 00:30:41.050 or at least was a collaborator and Bruce 00:30:39.340 --> 00:30:42.490 Buchanan who some of you know has been 00:30:41.050 --> 00:30:44.950 on our Board of Regents and our Board of 00:30:42.490 --> 00:30:48.790 scientific counselors all of these folks 00:30:44.950 --> 00:30:49.780 were working in some way over those over 00:30:48.790 --> 00:30:51.610 that time period 00:30:49.780 --> 00:30:53.470 on what came to be known the Dendera 00:30:51.610 --> 00:30:56.890 system which was an artificial 00:30:53.470 --> 00:30:59.560 intelligence system that was and it says 00:30:56.890 --> 00:31:02.350 here for the system for computer 00:30:59.560 --> 00:31:05.320 construction enumeration and notation of 00:31:02.350 --> 00:31:08.560 organic molecules as tree structures so 00:31:05.320 --> 00:31:10.570 the idea was that so much part of the 00:31:08.560 --> 00:31:12.610 artificial intelligence problem is that 00:31:10.570 --> 00:31:14.650 if you have a lot of data and you know 00:31:12.610 --> 00:31:17.020 that you're trying to analyze you have a 00:31:14.650 --> 00:31:20.470 lot of in this case trees being built 00:31:17.020 --> 00:31:23.830 that is to say a lot of possible answers 00:31:20.470 --> 00:31:25.960 to your question and when there is such 00:31:23.830 --> 00:31:28.090 a large amount of data you need to find 00:31:25.960 --> 00:31:29.440 a way to filter those data and that's 00:31:28.090 --> 00:31:31.120 the kind of thing that Dan Gras was 00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:33.490 drawing trying to do through its 00:31:31.120 --> 00:31:36.850 heuristic rules artificial intelligence 00:31:33.490 --> 00:31:40.810 based AI based kinds of rules so that 00:31:36.850 --> 00:31:43.270 was an entirely something you might not 00:31:40.810 --> 00:31:44.710 have expected for a chairman of a 00:31:43.270 --> 00:31:47.020 department of genetics to become 00:31:44.710 --> 00:31:48.820 involved in and Josh Lederberg being as 00:31:47.020 --> 00:31:52.840 he is and Donna's already alluded to 00:31:48.820 --> 00:31:54.610 this very much a hands-on person he 00:31:52.840 --> 00:31:55.330 enrolled in an algal class you know he's 00:31:54.610 --> 00:31:57.040 there learn 00:31:55.330 --> 00:31:59.410 you know computer programming and trying 00:31:57.040 --> 00:32:03.010 to understand it from from from that 00:31:59.410 --> 00:32:06.460 level so he is credited among others of 00:32:03.010 --> 00:32:08.650 course with being among the first to 00:32:06.460 --> 00:32:11.380 look at artificial intelligence and 00:32:08.650 --> 00:32:13.030 medicine possibilities now what do you 00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:14.830 do during his during his time at 00:32:13.030 --> 00:32:16.300 Stanford he was busy in lots of 00:32:14.830 --> 00:32:19.030 different directions he was still doing 00:32:16.300 --> 00:32:24.090 basic research of course in the lab he 00:32:19.030 --> 00:32:26.470 was doing AI again as it applied to 00:32:24.090 --> 00:32:28.300 microorganisms but he also did this 00:32:26.470 --> 00:32:30.580 wonderful thing and that's why I 00:32:28.300 --> 00:32:33.750 consider him in many ways for lots of 00:32:30.580 --> 00:32:35.710 reasons to be really a public minded 00:32:33.750 --> 00:32:38.230 scientist someone who took his 00:32:35.710 --> 00:32:41.200 responsibilities as a of course famous 00:32:38.230 --> 00:32:43.780 scientist very seriously in getting the 00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:46.990 message out to the rest of the world and 00:32:43.780 --> 00:32:49.810 not just fellow scientists so he agreed 00:32:46.990 --> 00:32:51.550 and was invited to and agreed to write a 00:32:49.810 --> 00:32:52.690 regular column it was weekly for a while 00:32:51.550 --> 00:32:54.640 I don't believe it was we believed 00:32:52.690 --> 00:32:56.500 throughout the whole period a regular 00:32:54.640 --> 00:32:59.110 column for The Washington Post called 00:32:56.500 --> 00:33:03.820 science and men and here are just some 00:32:59.110 --> 00:33:06.610 of the titles that of the the editorials 00:33:03.820 --> 00:33:09.250 or articles that he wrote and you can 00:33:06.610 --> 00:33:11.530 see didn't she didn't shy away from any 00:33:09.250 --> 00:33:14.500 issues germ warfare 00:33:11.530 --> 00:33:16.330 chromosomes and crime viruses 00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:17.860 engineering viruses for health that were 00:33:16.330 --> 00:33:19.540 warfare you know are you doing this 00:33:17.860 --> 00:33:23.320 engineering for good purposes or for bad 00:33:19.540 --> 00:33:24.640 purposes the legal start of life worlds 00:33:23.320 --> 00:33:25.960 and postpone I'll come to that in a 00:33:24.640 --> 00:33:29.620 minute is everybody brought into the 00:33:25.960 --> 00:33:32.170 core genetic Interfaith intervention as 00:33:29.620 --> 00:33:33.640 a way of improving our species are there 00:33:32.170 --> 00:33:36.790 bugs on Mars we've already talked about 00:33:33.640 --> 00:33:40.030 that inform guinea pigs radiation 00:33:36.790 --> 00:33:43.510 debates pollution psychology of 00:33:40.030 --> 00:33:45.910 differences between the sexes and what 00:33:43.510 --> 00:33:47.650 about those doctors out there so I'll 00:33:45.910 --> 00:33:48.940 just give you a flavor of some of them I 00:33:47.650 --> 00:33:50.890 thought you might want to know the 00:33:48.940 --> 00:33:53.650 answer is - is everybody brought into 00:33:50.890 --> 00:33:55.060 the core I think that you'll find that 00:33:53.650 --> 00:33:57.070 he doesn't think so 00:33:55.060 --> 00:33:58.360 he says that one of the principal themes 00:33:57.070 --> 00:33:59.680 of this column has been the rapid 00:33:58.360 --> 00:34:02.290 progress of research in molecular 00:33:59.680 --> 00:34:02.860 biology remember this is the 60s there 00:34:02.290 --> 00:34:04.900 is an off 00:34:02.860 --> 00:34:07.210 happening during this time period and 00:34:04.900 --> 00:34:09.399 the opportunity this begins to offer for 00:34:07.210 --> 00:34:11.710 the diagnosis and cure of inborn 00:34:09.399 --> 00:34:13.720 diseases of human development if I 00:34:11.710 --> 00:34:15.340 believed if I Josh Lederberg believed 00:34:13.720 --> 00:34:18.190 that modern science supports the innate 00:34:15.340 --> 00:34:20.669 depravity of man the global warfare is 00:34:18.190 --> 00:34:24.040 an inevitable disease of human nature I 00:34:20.669 --> 00:34:25.840 would advocate changing that nature by 00:34:24.040 --> 00:34:29.350 the most powerful tools at our disposal 00:34:25.840 --> 00:34:32.050 I would advocate genetic activism as the 00:34:29.350 --> 00:34:34.330 only route to human survival so but 00:34:32.050 --> 00:34:36.399 basically it was a way of making making 00:34:34.330 --> 00:34:39.820 accessible to the public 00:34:36.399 --> 00:34:41.679 the important and sometimes scary about 00:34:39.820 --> 00:34:43.629 scientific issues of the day and I'm 00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:45.220 going to go through a few of these this 00:34:43.629 --> 00:34:49.629 one I found interesting World's End 00:34:45.220 --> 00:34:51.760 postponed because this is basically the 00:34:49.629 --> 00:34:54.100 issue here is irresponsible journalism 00:34:51.760 --> 00:34:55.659 as he puts it so he says a Sydney 00:34:54.100 --> 00:34:57.310 University physicist said that said 00:34:55.659 --> 00:34:58.960 today that the United States Britain and 00:34:57.310 --> 00:35:01.660 Russia are studying the possibility of 00:34:58.960 --> 00:35:03.790 using a nuclear rocket to prevent an 00:35:01.660 --> 00:35:05.530 asteroid from smashing into Earth so the 00:35:03.790 --> 00:35:08.020 asteroid is coming at however many 00:35:05.530 --> 00:35:09.490 million miles an hour down to the earth 00:35:08.020 --> 00:35:11.560 and we're going to send off a nuclear 00:35:09.490 --> 00:35:14.619 rocket to smash it into smithereens I 00:35:11.560 --> 00:35:16.390 guess so that it won't destroy earth so 00:35:14.619 --> 00:35:17.890 he says I find it hard to believe that 00:35:16.390 --> 00:35:20.800 any responsible journalist would have 00:35:17.890 --> 00:35:22.750 credited the story unfortunately such 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:24.670 sensationalism goes on all too often in 00:35:22.750 --> 00:35:26.410 science news recording and erodes the 00:35:24.670 --> 00:35:27.910 confidence of serious-minded scientists 00:35:26.410 --> 00:35:30.490 he's speaking to the press so he went 00:35:27.910 --> 00:35:32.740 back to the original professor who was 00:35:30.490 --> 00:35:35.859 quoted here at Sydney and apparently 00:35:32.740 --> 00:35:39.369 this was this was not a comment that he 00:35:35.859 --> 00:35:41.800 had made this one is about informed 00:35:39.369 --> 00:35:43.270 consent and he had an interesting point 00:35:41.800 --> 00:35:46.900 of view here I'm not sure that this ever 00:35:43.270 --> 00:35:51.460 went here but as he talks about the 00:35:46.900 --> 00:35:54.280 issue of of course clinical trials as we 00:35:51.460 --> 00:35:56.020 know them and and also any informed 00:35:54.280 --> 00:35:58.090 consent for any kinds of procedures and 00:35:56.020 --> 00:36:00.790 research studies that might involve 00:35:58.090 --> 00:36:03.580 significant risks and he says the very 00:36:00.790 --> 00:36:04.540 expression risk brings to mind insurance 00:36:03.580 --> 00:36:05.890 and there's an 00:36:04.540 --> 00:36:07.690 instead of and there is an important 00:36:05.890 --> 00:36:09.340 step that we could take to rationalize 00:36:07.690 --> 00:36:12.060 the participation of human subjects so 00:36:09.340 --> 00:36:15.010 he was proposing some kind of insurance 00:36:12.060 --> 00:36:16.930 for the risk that you might undergo in a 00:36:15.010 --> 00:36:18.820 clinical trial and and believe that ever 00:36:16.930 --> 00:36:21.730 went anywhere but an interesting point 00:36:18.820 --> 00:36:23.950 of view now he talks about doctors and 00:36:21.730 --> 00:36:26.140 he says that much disease now is yatra 00:36:23.950 --> 00:36:28.900 genic actually a backwash of excessive 00:36:26.140 --> 00:36:30.400 an imperceptible use of drugs many of my 00:36:28.900 --> 00:36:32.080 colleagues wonder then whether we do not 00:36:30.400 --> 00:36:34.480 have too many physicians too busy and 00:36:32.080 --> 00:36:36.130 preoccupied to evaluate the churning 00:36:34.480 --> 00:36:38.250 battery of drugs thrust with their 00:36:36.130 --> 00:36:41.140 attention via the glossy trade journals 00:36:38.250 --> 00:36:44.260 so he goes after the pharmaceutical 00:36:41.140 --> 00:36:47.040 company there and then this somewhat 00:36:44.260 --> 00:36:49.300 controversial topic genetic intervention 00:36:47.040 --> 00:36:51.340 he says some of the more panicky 00:36:49.300 --> 00:36:53.440 reactions to genetic engineering and 00:36:51.340 --> 00:36:55.750 their characterization as tampering are 00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:58.030 no doubt very closely akin to the 00:36:55.750 --> 00:37:00.070 anxiety and derision that greeted 00:36:58.030 --> 00:37:03.280 Darwin's formulation of man's evolution 00:37:00.070 --> 00:37:06.220 from a plight forerunners how would an 00:37:03.280 --> 00:37:08.320 ape profits relatives have greeted his 00:37:06.220 --> 00:37:14.010 predictions about the upsets their 00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:17.560 species would soon experience great so 00:37:14.010 --> 00:37:21.400 and this one is engineering viruses for 00:37:17.560 --> 00:37:24.160 health or warfare he says that he really 00:37:21.400 --> 00:37:28.110 need this is really he was one of the 00:37:24.160 --> 00:37:30.580 first people to recognize the danger of 00:37:28.110 --> 00:37:33.910 biological warfare and actually became 00:37:30.580 --> 00:37:36.760 quite involved in the subsequent years 00:37:33.910 --> 00:37:39.910 at the national level in addressing 00:37:36.760 --> 00:37:41.950 addressing these issues and he says 00:37:39.910 --> 00:37:44.320 himself who he's invited in nineteen 00:37:41.950 --> 00:37:48.820 seventy and for several years he served 00:37:44.320 --> 00:37:51.070 on a disarm in the arms control arena 00:37:48.820 --> 00:37:52.960 but he was invited to this conference in 00:37:51.070 --> 00:37:55.690 nineteen seventy on questions of 00:37:52.960 --> 00:37:58.330 biological warfare and he says in his 00:37:55.690 --> 00:38:00.070 own the beginnings of an autobiography 00:37:58.330 --> 00:38:03.490 that he started in nineteen eighty eight 00:38:00.070 --> 00:38:05.200 I believe that he had various notes 00:38:03.490 --> 00:38:08.920 throughout the years about his life but 00:38:05.200 --> 00:38:11.560 he says that that this work consumed as 00:38:08.920 --> 00:38:12.450 much time as any of the other many many 00:38:11.560 --> 00:38:14.700 other things 00:38:12.450 --> 00:38:17.880 that he did in the public arena because 00:38:14.700 --> 00:38:21.359 he saw it was so important to address 00:38:17.880 --> 00:38:24.660 this carefully so then he said goodbye 00:38:21.359 --> 00:38:27.210 to Stanford and this is Edie Feigenbaum 00:38:24.660 --> 00:38:30.510 email is not already mentioned while 00:38:27.210 --> 00:38:35.400 Josh was a prolific email writer also a 00:38:30.510 --> 00:38:37.500 correspondent in actually paper but once 00:38:35.400 --> 00:38:40.470 he had access to email that's what he 00:38:37.500 --> 00:38:43.380 was doing so this is a goodbye tribute 00:38:40.470 --> 00:38:46.020 from Edie Feigenbaum to letter Berg when 00:38:43.380 --> 00:38:47.609 he was leaving Stanford Josh is not only 00:38:46.020 --> 00:38:49.740 one of the world's great scientists but 00:38:47.609 --> 00:38:51.540 also one of its great science statesmen 00:38:49.740 --> 00:38:52.950 those of us who shared project 00:38:51.540 --> 00:38:54.930 management responsibilities with him 00:38:52.950 --> 00:38:56.790 were in awe of the unerring accuracy 00:38:54.930 --> 00:38:59.310 with which he was able to affect clean 00:38:56.790 --> 00:39:01.589 cuts to thickets of political financial 00:38:59.310 --> 00:39:03.660 and institutional complexities to lead 00:39:01.589 --> 00:39:06.720 us through to desired goals so not only 00:39:03.660 --> 00:39:08.430 was he a scientist in the laboratory but 00:39:06.720 --> 00:39:11.550 he was also someone who was able to 00:39:08.430 --> 00:39:15.030 navigate the political waters of 00:39:11.550 --> 00:39:16.170 academia and the government and so on 00:39:15.030 --> 00:39:18.869 and all the various government 00:39:16.170 --> 00:39:21.780 committees that he served on so he was 00:39:18.869 --> 00:39:24.450 president of rockefeller from 1978 so as 00:39:21.780 --> 00:39:28.579 I say almost almost 20 years 19 years at 00:39:24.450 --> 00:39:31.579 Stanford and 12 years as president of 00:39:28.579 --> 00:39:36.030 Rockefeller University in New York and 00:39:31.579 --> 00:39:38.940 in 1990 he retired from there and it's 00:39:36.030 --> 00:39:40.890 now a professor emeritus at Rockefeller 00:39:38.940 --> 00:39:46.560 University so there he is I believe in 00:39:40.890 --> 00:39:48.000 his office I'm not sure rockefeller so I 00:39:46.560 --> 00:39:51.540 wanted to give you a flavour this is a 00:39:48.000 --> 00:39:54.300 CV for his CV from 1998 I want to just 00:39:51.540 --> 00:39:56.640 give you a flavor for the public 00:39:54.300 --> 00:40:00.569 committees the National Committee's on 00:39:56.640 --> 00:40:03.710 which Joshua Lederberg served throughout 00:40:00.569 --> 00:40:06.690 his career so you know as early as the 00:40:03.710 --> 00:40:09.000 1919 50s when he was really still very 00:40:06.690 --> 00:40:12.460 very young he was serving on the 00:40:09.000 --> 00:40:15.130 president's science advisory in 1958 for 00:40:12.460 --> 00:40:16.930 20 years he served on the National 00:40:15.130 --> 00:40:20.109 Academy of Sciences Committee on space 00:40:16.930 --> 00:40:23.470 biology on a NASA for many years on a 00:40:20.109 --> 00:40:25.359 NASA moon planetary missions board the 00:40:23.470 --> 00:40:27.760 Charles Babbage Institute the u.s. 00:40:25.359 --> 00:40:31.060 defense Science Board trustee of the 00:40:27.760 --> 00:40:33.849 Medical School in Tel Aviv president's 00:40:31.060 --> 00:40:36.550 cancer panel toxicology Board of 00:40:33.849 --> 00:40:39.220 Directors chemical industry and the 00:40:36.550 --> 00:40:42.220 chair of the DNA advisory board at the 00:40:39.220 --> 00:40:45.400 FBI from 95 to 98 and this was looking 00:40:42.220 --> 00:40:49.240 this was really forensic DNA and he was 00:40:45.400 --> 00:40:51.580 looking at that and making some we're 00:40:49.240 --> 00:40:54.839 together with colleagues making some 00:40:51.580 --> 00:40:58.000 very good progress on the accuracy of 00:40:54.839 --> 00:41:02.550 DNA and identifying or better said and 00:40:58.000 --> 00:41:05.140 ruling out that someone was a criminal 00:41:02.550 --> 00:41:06.849 he was a prolific correspondent I've 00:41:05.140 --> 00:41:08.680 already mentioned that this is just a 00:41:06.849 --> 00:41:11.470 sample it's just over more than 20 years 00:41:08.680 --> 00:41:15.220 of correspondence between letter Berg 00:41:11.470 --> 00:41:17.170 and and Tatum with whom he worked in his 00:41:15.220 --> 00:41:19.390 very early career as a youngster really 00:41:17.170 --> 00:41:21.730 at Yale and these are just you know 00:41:19.390 --> 00:41:25.540 letters back and forth over that long 00:41:21.730 --> 00:41:27.190 period just some titles and here I just 00:41:25.540 --> 00:41:29.290 thought I'd let you to take a look for a 00:41:27.190 --> 00:41:31.270 minute at the folks with whom he 00:41:29.290 --> 00:41:33.730 corresponded so you'll see there are 00:41:31.270 --> 00:41:36.790 other Nobel laureates anfinsen 00:41:33.730 --> 00:41:40.180 Axelrod Beetle Crick Don Frederickson he 00:41:36.790 --> 00:41:42.070 actually was was quite vocal in 00:41:40.180 --> 00:41:45.010 discussions with Don Frederickson when 00:41:42.070 --> 00:41:48.160 Don Fredersen with director of NIH and 00:41:45.010 --> 00:41:53.130 was working on the Ratana DNA DNA issues 00:41:48.160 --> 00:41:55.599 and there's some letters there he was 00:41:53.130 --> 00:41:57.369 active politically in the sense that he 00:41:55.599 --> 00:42:02.140 correspondent with quite a few senators 00:41:57.369 --> 00:42:04.000 Congress people and so on he he was I 00:42:02.140 --> 00:42:05.950 think a consultant to Ann Landers in the 00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:08.500 sense that she would ask for his opinion 00:42:05.950 --> 00:42:10.450 and also to Ann Landers sister at the 00:42:08.500 --> 00:42:14.290 end of the second column abigail Dear 00:42:10.450 --> 00:42:16.420 Abby development then van Buren Salvador 00:42:14.290 --> 00:42:18.970 Luria another laureate Ernst Mayr 00:42:16.420 --> 00:42:21.790 actually was at Harvard and tried very 00:42:18.970 --> 00:42:25.420 hard to recruit Josh Lederberg to her 00:42:21.790 --> 00:42:27.970 but didn't happen didn't happen so mayor 00:42:25.420 --> 00:42:29.770 was was was disappointed in that Mac 00:42:27.970 --> 00:42:30.880 McCarty I've already mentioned he was 00:42:29.770 --> 00:42:34.270 one of the three author's 00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:38.080 Avery McCleod and McCarty on that early 00:42:34.270 --> 00:42:41.020 paper on on DNA and Barbara McClintock 00:42:38.080 --> 00:42:44.200 as you know Nobel laureate for work in 00:42:41.020 --> 00:42:47.080 in corn corn genetics Victor McKusick 00:42:44.200 --> 00:42:48.910 the father of Mendelian inheritance and 00:42:47.080 --> 00:42:50.740 man the book and the online Mendelian 00:42:48.910 --> 00:42:54.190 inheritance and then and you could see 00:42:50.740 --> 00:42:57.040 others like the princess Paola Belgium 00:42:54.190 --> 00:42:58.420 who then became queen linus pauling carl 00:42:57.040 --> 00:43:00.220 sagan he actually did some work with 00:42:58.420 --> 00:43:02.620 carl sagan on the whole question of 00:43:00.220 --> 00:43:05.230 space exploration and what then became 00:43:02.620 --> 00:43:07.620 coined as the term that they coined was 00:43:05.230 --> 00:43:10.600 that the jaw flutter Burgoyne was 00:43:07.620 --> 00:43:14.140 exobiology so this whole realm study 00:43:10.600 --> 00:43:16.660 about being called exobiology frets and 00:43:14.140 --> 00:43:19.030 was done shillelagh you all know Fred 00:43:16.660 --> 00:43:21.130 Soper who was the one of the first was 00:43:19.030 --> 00:43:22.780 the first head of the Pan American 00:43:21.130 --> 00:43:24.990 Health Organization wasn't called that 00:43:22.780 --> 00:43:30.070 at the time but we did a lot of work 00:43:24.990 --> 00:43:32.560 with organisms and so on in South 00:43:30.070 --> 00:43:35.260 America and other places Luther Terry 00:43:32.560 --> 00:43:38.890 who of course was in Surgeon General who 00:43:35.260 --> 00:43:41.470 wrote the first documents surgeon 00:43:38.890 --> 00:43:43.300 general's report on smoking and Jim 00:43:41.470 --> 00:43:44.890 Watson that's just a sample that's 00:43:43.300 --> 00:43:47.200 really just a sample I just pulled out 00:43:44.890 --> 00:43:50.170 names that I thought many of you would 00:43:47.200 --> 00:43:52.150 recognize also I thought it would be 00:43:50.170 --> 00:43:54.040 interesting for you to know that he 00:43:52.150 --> 00:43:55.660 corresponded with Eugene Garfield so 00:43:54.040 --> 00:43:58.390 those of you who are information 00:43:55.660 --> 00:44:00.580 scientists know well and maybe others of 00:43:58.390 --> 00:44:04.330 you new to the web of science which 00:44:00.580 --> 00:44:08.530 actually was is now the web version of 00:44:04.330 --> 00:44:11.740 the ISI Citation Index and Eugene 00:44:08.530 --> 00:44:14.080 Garfield had a lot of trouble selling 00:44:11.740 --> 00:44:16.030 the idea so to speak so he got a 00:44:14.080 --> 00:44:18.150 handwritten note which you can see on 00:44:16.030 --> 00:44:22.360 the right there under the web of science 00:44:18.150 --> 00:44:24.520 logo there since since you've heard this 00:44:22.360 --> 00:44:25.960 is from letter Berg to Garfield since 00:44:24.520 --> 00:44:29.200 you first published your scheme for a 00:44:25.960 --> 00:44:30.790 Citation Index in science about four 00:44:29.200 --> 00:44:32.490 years ago I've been thinking very 00:44:30.790 --> 00:44:35.460 seriously about it and must 00:44:32.490 --> 00:44:37.080 I am completely sold so Eugene Garfield 00:44:35.460 --> 00:44:38.460 writes back and says I hope you wouldn't 00:44:37.080 --> 00:44:40.380 be embarrassed by a show of emotion but 00:44:38.460 --> 00:44:42.599 your memo almost brought tears to my 00:44:40.380 --> 00:44:44.250 eyes it then seemed that over six years 00:44:42.599 --> 00:44:46.080 of trying to sell the idea of citation 00:44:44.250 --> 00:44:49.680 indexes had not been completely in vain 00:44:46.080 --> 00:44:52.349 and of course again it's revealed Josh 00:44:49.680 --> 00:44:55.020 Lederberg interest in the primary 00:44:52.349 --> 00:44:56.730 literature in literature itself and he 00:44:55.020 --> 00:45:01.050 has made many statements throughout the 00:44:56.730 --> 00:45:03.570 years about the how great it would be 00:45:01.050 --> 00:45:06.330 and what advances we would have if we 00:45:03.570 --> 00:45:08.460 could mine that what we take today call 00:45:06.330 --> 00:45:11.010 mine the literature to do knowledge 00:45:08.460 --> 00:45:12.690 discovery if you like in the literature 00:45:11.010 --> 00:45:14.490 so he's been quite committed to this 00:45:12.690 --> 00:45:17.310 throughout his life being being the 00:45:14.490 --> 00:45:21.119 scientist that he is and it goes back to 00:45:17.310 --> 00:45:24.420 his his love of libraries and he was in 00:45:21.119 --> 00:45:26.099 fact on the board of the the Library of 00:45:24.420 --> 00:45:27.599 Congress he was on our Board of Regents 00:45:26.099 --> 00:45:29.580 at the National Library of Medicine 00:45:27.599 --> 00:45:31.830 he's chaired or at least has been on the 00:45:29.580 --> 00:45:35.550 board of the PubMed Central Committee so 00:45:31.830 --> 00:45:37.740 he's been quite supportive of this 00:45:35.550 --> 00:45:40.980 notion of making scientific information 00:45:37.740 --> 00:45:44.300 readily easily available so I thought 00:45:40.980 --> 00:45:47.040 that I might talk a little bit about 00:45:44.300 --> 00:45:52.440 science at science why be a scientist 00:45:47.040 --> 00:45:55.470 and there is a volume called reflections 00:45:52.440 --> 00:45:59.010 on scientific biography published and 00:45:55.470 --> 00:46:00.690 edited by letter bird in 1990 and what 00:45:59.010 --> 00:46:02.430 he did is he asked all the various 00:46:00.690 --> 00:46:05.609 scientists who are reflecting on this 00:46:02.430 --> 00:46:07.320 the basic question why do science well 00:46:05.609 --> 00:46:09.170 and here were some of the answers this 00:46:07.320 --> 00:46:12.450 was a summary of some of the answers 00:46:09.170 --> 00:46:15.570 curiosity the exercise of intellect and 00:46:12.450 --> 00:46:17.250 aesthetic taste virtuosity the prestige 00:46:15.570 --> 00:46:19.140 and so he's honest about that the 00:46:17.250 --> 00:46:21.510 prestige and self-satisfaction that a 00:46:19.140 --> 00:46:24.420 scientist derives from the practice of 00:46:21.510 --> 00:46:26.609 extraordinary skill power influence and 00:46:24.420 --> 00:46:29.190 vanity the fruits of success 00:46:26.609 --> 00:46:31.920 illumination compulsion approaching the 00:46:29.190 --> 00:46:34.170 religious associated with peak discovery 00:46:31.920 --> 00:46:35.880 and I think that's right I think that if 00:46:34.170 --> 00:46:38.490 you're fully immersed in what you are 00:46:35.880 --> 00:46:41.280 doing you become somewhat fanatical 00:46:38.490 --> 00:46:42.339 about it and service in reaching others 00:46:41.280 --> 00:46:46.269 minds 00:46:42.339 --> 00:46:48.519 generating useful knowledge so I thought 00:46:46.269 --> 00:46:55.329 we might take a minute to just listen if 00:46:48.519 --> 00:47:01.569 I can make it work to letter burg 00:46:55.329 --> 00:47:04.869 himself scientists have to be schizoid 00:47:01.569 --> 00:47:08.739 in some way they have to be able to 00:47:04.869 --> 00:47:10.599 sustain some contradictions in their 00:47:08.739 --> 00:47:13.180 personality and the way they view things 00:47:10.599 --> 00:47:15.849 I've already mentioned one of them in 00:47:13.180 --> 00:47:19.329 order to get you have to give away I 00:47:15.849 --> 00:47:22.509 have a very clear sense you you want to 00:47:19.329 --> 00:47:25.779 be competitive and generous at the same 00:47:22.509 --> 00:47:28.269 time which is self as an individual not 00:47:25.779 --> 00:47:30.219 only satisfy your own ego but in order 00:47:28.269 --> 00:47:32.619 to have the resources and capability of 00:47:30.219 --> 00:47:33.969 doing for the scientific work and yet 00:47:32.619 --> 00:47:37.329 you recognize you're part of the 00:47:33.969 --> 00:47:40.509 community and an even deeper level and a 00:47:37.329 --> 00:47:43.180 little closer to the cognitive realm the 00:47:40.509 --> 00:47:46.420 effective scientist the really creative 00:47:43.180 --> 00:47:50.019 one is the person who one minute can be 00:47:46.420 --> 00:47:52.719 fantasizing with no restraints imagining 00:47:50.019 --> 00:47:55.869 all kinds of things blue sky and the 00:47:52.719 --> 00:47:58.599 next can be his/her own harshest self 00:47:55.869 --> 00:48:02.199 critic in say look this is what reality 00:47:58.599 --> 00:48:04.029 is really like a B C D and G are not 00:48:02.199 --> 00:48:07.150 going to work well maybe have survived 00:48:04.029 --> 00:48:09.239 and that's worth considering but to be 00:48:07.150 --> 00:48:13.089 able to have a lot of fluency in 00:48:09.239 --> 00:48:15.459 scanning a wide range of fantastic 00:48:13.089 --> 00:48:17.079 notions things that never been done 00:48:15.459 --> 00:48:19.239 before which probably aren't going to 00:48:17.079 --> 00:48:22.119 work and give them a little bit of 00:48:19.239 --> 00:48:24.009 attention and then have a critical 00:48:22.119 --> 00:48:27.279 regarding how to discard them if there's 00:48:24.009 --> 00:48:33.489 any essential ingredient to scientific 00:48:27.279 --> 00:48:37.479 Timothy I think that's where so I 00:48:33.489 --> 00:48:39.849 thought I might then end with profiles 00:48:37.479 --> 00:48:42.179 and science and there's only one slide 00:48:39.849 --> 00:48:44.709 here but I did want to let you know that 00:48:42.179 --> 00:48:46.719 all of the documents and all of the 00:48:44.709 --> 00:48:48.669 comments that I've made to you with the 00:48:46.719 --> 00:48:51.039 exception of a few plots personal 00:48:48.669 --> 00:48:53.559 comments and having known and knowing 00:48:51.039 --> 00:48:57.459 Joshua Lederberg have all come from the 00:48:53.559 --> 00:48:58.809 profiles and science site and the the 00:48:57.459 --> 00:48:59.979 finding aid this is a quote from the 00:48:58.809 --> 00:49:04.269 finding aid which is a prize-winning 00:48:59.979 --> 00:49:08.650 finding aid I should add says the Joshua 00:49:04.269 --> 00:49:11.589 Lederberg collection comprises 180 2.75 00:49:08.650 --> 00:49:13.239 linear feet of Correspondence reports 00:49:11.589 --> 00:49:16.179 research material published writings 00:49:13.239 --> 00:49:18.369 photographs and so forth chronicling the 00:49:16.179 --> 00:49:20.319 research and public service of Joshua 00:49:18.369 --> 00:49:23.819 Lederberg those of you who are not 00:49:20.319 --> 00:49:27.400 archivist don't know what this means 180 00:49:23.819 --> 00:49:29.019 2.75 linear feet of Correspondence and 00:49:27.400 --> 00:49:32.409 other documents those of you who are 00:49:29.019 --> 00:49:35.709 might be gasping this is a lot of 00:49:32.409 --> 00:49:38.380 documents and Josh Lederberg saved 00:49:35.709 --> 00:49:40.150 everything you can see that a lot of the 00:49:38.380 --> 00:49:43.689 correspondence that I was talking about 00:49:40.150 --> 00:49:45.640 and so on we have carbon copies of that 00:49:43.689 --> 00:49:47.619 correspondence he kept everything he 00:49:45.640 --> 00:49:50.890 kept all of the documents and so on and 00:49:47.619 --> 00:49:52.809 he was himself I would say not just a 00:49:50.890 --> 00:49:55.299 packrat he didn't just put things in 00:49:52.809 --> 00:49:57.130 boxes and shove them in a corner he 00:49:55.299 --> 00:49:58.839 actually was a little bit of a librarian 00:49:57.130 --> 00:50:01.089 himself a little bit of an archivist 00:49:58.839 --> 00:50:04.449 himself so he organized things in 00:50:01.089 --> 00:50:06.279 certain ways and made them made the job 00:50:04.449 --> 00:50:08.469 even though it was a very big job for 00:50:06.279 --> 00:50:11.289 our archivists and librarians and 00:50:08.469 --> 00:50:13.299 computer scientists here at NLM it was a 00:50:11.289 --> 00:50:16.029 big job for them but he did make it 00:50:13.299 --> 00:50:18.489 somewhat easier and we thank him for 00:50:16.029 --> 00:50:20.349 that and I am delighted to have had the 00:50:18.489 --> 00:50:23.519 opportunity to talk to you about Joshua 00:50:20.349 --> 00:50:23.519 Lederberg thank you very much 00:50:27.040 --> 00:50:34.050 [Applause] 00:50:31.100 --> 00:50:37.830 it's no lecture we'll take a question or 00:50:34.050 --> 00:50:40.500 two I guess we could also take some 00:50:37.830 --> 00:50:43.400 additions if any of you want to add your 00:50:40.500 --> 00:50:43.400 own observation 00:50:47.070 --> 00:50:54.230 Josh would be very proud of you Alexa he 00:50:50.460 --> 00:50:57.840 was a a Mazda individual real genius but 00:50:54.230 --> 00:51:02.570 medical students and normal students 00:50:57.840 --> 00:51:06.690 found him not as attractive nor as 00:51:02.570 --> 00:51:09.000 highly talented as a lecturer I think 00:51:06.690 --> 00:51:12.270 one of the amazing things about Josh 00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:14.400 Lederberg was that after he dropped out 00:51:12.270 --> 00:51:20.640 a dropout medical student from the 00:51:14.400 --> 00:51:24.660 Columbia and he went back and went to 00:51:20.640 --> 00:51:28.530 Tatum and did his Nobel Prize work and 00:51:24.660 --> 00:51:30.630 then he he went to Wisconsin which was a 00:51:28.530 --> 00:51:33.570 powerhouse in genetics it's a land-grant 00:51:30.630 --> 00:51:36.210 school and Hans Rees and James Crowe and 00:51:33.570 --> 00:51:39.450 to leave the West that was alright but 00:51:36.210 --> 00:51:42.150 even more interesting was that he left 00:51:39.450 --> 00:51:44.040 Wisconsin to go to Stanford which was a 00:51:42.150 --> 00:51:46.830 nothing medical school at that time and 00:51:44.040 --> 00:51:49.320 how they attracted Arthur Kornberg and 00:51:46.830 --> 00:51:51.810 Henry Kaplan and Josh Lederberg in their 00:51:49.320 --> 00:51:53.640 basic science department and then later 00:51:51.810 --> 00:51:56.760 course went into heart transplant with 00:51:53.640 --> 00:51:59.160 Norman Shumway but Stanford was with the 00:51:56.760 --> 00:52:00.840 San Francisco wasn't a great medical 00:51:59.160 --> 00:52:02.790 school that only when it moved back to 00:52:00.840 --> 00:52:06.240 Stanford and he took on that new 00:52:02.790 --> 00:52:08.100 challenge and then of course after they 00:52:06.240 --> 00:52:10.859 had a physicist as president of the 00:52:08.100 --> 00:52:12.840 National Academy sites they went back to 00:52:10.859 --> 00:52:15.240 a biologist and it became president 00:52:12.840 --> 00:52:16.859 about that I think the only other thing 00:52:15.240 --> 00:52:20.040 that I think is interesting he just 00:52:16.859 --> 00:52:22.560 didn't do the work bacterial conjugation 00:52:20.040 --> 00:52:25.890 as a young student that gave him a Nobel 00:52:22.560 --> 00:52:29.000 Prize but he was productive in many 00:52:25.890 --> 00:52:31.890 fields transduction with Norton Synder 00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:33.869 was one of the basic mechanisms of 00:52:31.890 --> 00:52:36.600 biology and he went all the way to 00:52:33.869 --> 00:52:40.050 Australia and worked with Gus nozzle and 00:52:36.600 --> 00:52:43.380 that paper shows that one cell produces 00:52:40.050 --> 00:52:45.300 one antibody so he was in immunology he 00:52:43.380 --> 00:52:48.030 was in genetics he was in the beginning 00:52:45.300 --> 00:52:50.820 of molecular biology although his stuff 00:52:48.030 --> 00:52:53.430 pretty much too phage and bacteria but 00:52:50.820 --> 00:52:59.660 he's an extraordinary individual and 00:52:53.430 --> 00:53:03.060 you did a wonderful job okay any further 00:52:59.660 --> 00:53:04.800 did any of you hear of pop contact oh I 00:53:03.060 --> 00:53:06.510 know in history of Medicine you surely 00:53:04.800 --> 00:53:10.850 must have a contact with Joshua cause he 00:53:06.510 --> 00:53:10.850 visited here frequently any remarks I 00:53:11.120 --> 00:53:18.000 wanted ladies please I only want to 00:53:15.780 --> 00:53:21.360 thank Alexa for doing such a beautiful 00:53:18.000 --> 00:53:24.570 job of explaining the man 00:53:21.360 --> 00:53:28.710 as well as the work and I think she gave 00:53:24.570 --> 00:53:31.470 us a lovely overview of the profiles and 00:53:28.710 --> 00:53:34.070 science site and I hope that those are 00:53:31.470 --> 00:53:37.470 interested will make their own 00:53:34.070 --> 00:53:39.510 explorations of the site as they have 00:53:37.470 --> 00:53:41.010 the time Thank You Alexis 00:53:39.510 --> 00:53:43.320 probably an infinite number of 00:53:41.010 --> 00:53:45.180 reminiscences but I would I'm thinking 00:53:43.320 --> 00:53:48.570 I'm remembering right now the very first 00:53:45.180 --> 00:53:50.390 time I met dr. lader Berg was that a 00:53:48.570 --> 00:53:53.550 Markel meeting at the Yosemite Lodge 00:53:50.390 --> 00:53:55.680 outside of San Francisco a lovely 00:53:53.550 --> 00:53:58.320 beautiful sunny day and he was of course 00:53:55.680 --> 00:54:00.360 one of the distinguished faculty but as 00:53:58.320 --> 00:54:01.860 often happens the most distinguished 00:54:00.360 --> 00:54:03.630 people get kind of forgotten and 00:54:01.860 --> 00:54:06.390 everybody goes about pouring coffee and 00:54:03.630 --> 00:54:10.260 chattering so I saw him sitting alone at 00:54:06.390 --> 00:54:12.870 a table and the son and I thought yes I 00:54:10.260 --> 00:54:16.220 think I apologized but said I thought he 00:54:12.870 --> 00:54:18.300 needed to be disturbed anyway and I 00:54:16.220 --> 00:54:20.190 asked what what were you actually 00:54:18.300 --> 00:54:24.210 thinking about before I came along and 00:54:20.190 --> 00:54:27.840 interrupted your your Sonny coffee and 00:54:24.210 --> 00:54:30.690 he said well I have in mind a chemical 00:54:27.840 --> 00:54:33.480 molecule and I'm trying to figure out 00:54:30.690 --> 00:54:36.540 what would be the next logical chemical 00:54:33.480 --> 00:54:38.730 molecule and that was the beginning of 00:54:36.540 --> 00:54:40.290 dendrimer I was by what logic will you 00:54:38.730 --> 00:54:44.340 find your way through this infinitely 00:54:40.290 --> 00:54:45.780 bushy decision tree so I found him I 00:54:44.340 --> 00:54:47.270 mean he's always the smartest guy in the 00:54:45.780 --> 00:54:49.530 room no doubt about that 00:54:47.270 --> 00:54:51.240 but he was self-propelled and he 00:54:49.530 --> 00:54:54.450 followed these curious but important 00:54:51.240 --> 00:54:56.490 questions one little parting of 00:54:54.450 --> 00:54:57.760 reminiscence I actually wasn't present 00:54:56.490 --> 00:54:59.670 for this one but I've heard 00:54:57.760 --> 00:55:04.660 from people at Stanford when he finally 00:54:59.670 --> 00:55:07.000 kind of became a familiar faculty person 00:55:04.660 --> 00:55:10.119 and so therefore got drafted under the 00:55:07.000 --> 00:55:13.060 inevitable curriculum committee so any 00:55:10.119 --> 00:55:14.970 of you who've you know live life on a 00:55:13.060 --> 00:55:18.280 curriculum committee know that it's 00:55:14.970 --> 00:55:22.060 almost endless and in medical schools 00:55:18.280 --> 00:55:25.570 one of the crime topics is called the 00:55:22.060 --> 00:55:27.970 core curriculum and apparently this one 00:55:25.570 --> 00:55:30.270 dragged on for really a very very long 00:55:27.970 --> 00:55:33.340 time and finally I guess somebody asked 00:55:30.270 --> 00:55:36.040 Josh's opinion and he wrote up he walked 00:55:33.340 --> 00:55:40.960 up the blackboard and he wrote left 00:55:36.040 --> 00:55:45.400 core equals zero and that's the way the 00:55:40.960 --> 00:55:49.510 vote went okay any parting comments 00:55:45.400 --> 00:55:52.210 please I just we just like to mention I 00:55:49.510 --> 00:55:55.810 had the pleasure of having interviewed 00:55:52.210 --> 00:55:57.880 dr. letter work and I was struck by his 00:55:55.810 --> 00:55:59.619 understanding of the responsibilities 00:55:57.880 --> 00:56:01.840 that went with winning the Nobel Prize 00:55:59.619 --> 00:56:04.990 especially winning it at such a young 00:56:01.840 --> 00:56:06.940 age in that as one of the things that he 00:56:04.990 --> 00:56:09.910 commented on he said once he had won the 00:56:06.940 --> 00:56:11.680 Nobel he had from that point on be very 00:56:09.910 --> 00:56:14.770 careful about what he said in public 00:56:11.680 --> 00:56:17.320 because people take what you say very 00:56:14.770 --> 00:56:20.200 seriously he said then you can't just be 00:56:17.320 --> 00:56:21.670 flip about anything now that was hit 00:56:20.200 --> 00:56:23.800 that understanding at such a young age 00:56:21.670 --> 00:56:27.100 and carrying through his life and having 00:56:23.800 --> 00:56:29.619 been a celebrity as it was were for such 00:56:27.100 --> 00:56:35.530 a long time yeah he was very responsible 00:56:29.619 --> 00:56:37.869 for certain sir as a history and I have 00:56:35.530 --> 00:56:39.820 been a big fan of pop profiles in 00:56:37.869 --> 00:56:43.210 science so because you put together 00:56:39.820 --> 00:56:45.910 features documents and introductions 00:56:43.210 --> 00:56:46.630 it's wonderful our source of further 00:56:45.910 --> 00:56:49.450 research 00:56:46.630 --> 00:56:52.240 I'm just interesting now you know having 00:56:49.450 --> 00:56:58.410 spent so much time and energy on years 00:56:52.240 --> 00:57:02.080 on the Joshua our website and and that 00:56:58.410 --> 00:57:04.869 gathering lots of information about him 00:57:02.080 --> 00:57:06.560 and are you not interested in writing a 00:57:04.869 --> 00:57:19.880 biography of him 00:57:06.560 --> 00:57:22.160 and then if are you just mind for thee 00:57:19.880 --> 00:57:24.710 for all the various collections that are 00:57:22.160 --> 00:57:28.550 there in fact these are the primary 00:57:24.710 --> 00:57:31.780 materials and you can it's just as I did 00:57:28.550 --> 00:57:34.760 historian denoting these materials and 00:57:31.780 --> 00:57:37.250 be able to get the kind of identical 00:57:34.760 --> 00:57:39.020 information you might like and one of 00:57:37.250 --> 00:57:40.550 the things that in the profile the 00:57:39.020 --> 00:57:43.010 science project that we've always been 00:57:40.550 --> 00:57:45.770 interested in doing but having that 00:57:43.010 --> 00:57:48.410 really done is to create a variety of 00:57:45.770 --> 00:57:50.570 educational materials from the profile 00:57:48.410 --> 00:57:52.250 site as well because an underlying 00:57:50.570 --> 00:57:54.440 motive that I actually haven't talked 00:57:52.250 --> 00:57:57.050 about motivation for profiles and 00:57:54.440 --> 00:58:00.650 science is to get across to young people 00:57:57.050 --> 00:58:02.930 of all ages the the sheer excitement of 00:58:00.650 --> 00:58:06.260 doing science and to let people know 00:58:02.930 --> 00:58:08.000 that scientists are people too they have 00:58:06.260 --> 00:58:09.890 their lives they have their frustrations 00:58:08.000 --> 00:58:12.350 they have their political waters that 00:58:09.890 --> 00:58:15.800 they have to navigate and so on and yet 00:58:12.350 --> 00:58:18.060 it is extremely rewarding when to spend 00:58:15.800 --> 00:58:21.000 the life and so we believe in that 00:58:18.060 --> 00:58:23.160 like the research students in many many 00:58:21.000 --> 00:58:25.020 ways and clearly the perhaps people 00:58:23.160 --> 00:58:27.390 writing an additional by noting 00:58:25.020 --> 00:58:30.780 biographical material and John mentioned 00:58:27.390 --> 00:58:32.370 early on that once and didn't actually 00:58:30.780 --> 00:58:34.020 say one other thing which is the Josh 00:58:32.370 --> 00:58:36.090 Lederberg when he separately would be 00:58:34.020 --> 00:58:37.950 glad to donate his famous to a since we 00:58:36.090 --> 00:58:39.780 were going to be digitizing them 00:58:37.950 --> 00:58:41.460 he said well as soon as you digitize 00:58:39.780 --> 00:58:42.840 them I'll give you twelve boxes you 00:58:41.460 --> 00:58:43.380 digitized I was like in the next role 00:58:42.840 --> 00:58:50.010 and so on 00:58:43.380 --> 00:58:52.800 just throwing the papers away for the 00:58:50.010 --> 00:58:55.500 papers away but but he was so confident 00:58:52.800 --> 00:58:56.900 in that and that what we then did reason 00:58:55.500 --> 00:59:00.360 he was confident was that he in fact 00:58:56.900 --> 00:59:03.120 used the collection himself and we gave 00:59:00.360 --> 00:59:04.560 him the capability of annotating the 00:59:03.120 --> 00:59:06.330 materials there so the original 00:59:04.560 --> 00:59:08.700 materials in there but in many cases 00:59:06.330 --> 00:59:10.860 there are some annotations there aren't 00:59:08.700 --> 00:59:13.500 as many as we would like because we like 00:59:10.860 --> 00:59:16.920 him to continue to work on it but so 00:59:13.500 --> 00:59:18.720 we'll see but that is that that we made 00:59:16.920 --> 00:59:26.670 it entirely interact with kind of 00:59:18.720 --> 00:59:28.830 assists and said sir I just wanted to 00:59:26.670 --> 00:59:31.140 thank you for a wonderful feeling that I 00:59:28.830 --> 00:59:33.990 had learning more about Joshua Lederberg 00:59:31.140 --> 00:59:37.560 I went to Stanford Medical School in its 00:59:33.990 --> 00:59:40.260 first years at Palo Alto and learning 00:59:37.560 --> 00:59:44.090 more about the story I learned more 00:59:40.260 --> 00:59:48.290 about how my scientific mind was shaped 00:59:44.090 --> 00:59:51.600 and it was frankly overwhelming to be 00:59:48.290 --> 00:59:52.980 almost bashed by people like Joshua 00:59:51.600 --> 00:59:55.650 Lederberg and other people that he 00:59:52.980 --> 00:59:59.040 courted the kornberg's Linus Pauling's 00:59:55.650 --> 01:00:00.840 and all of that and something else that 00:59:59.040 --> 01:00:02.760 I just would like to contribute it was 01:00:00.840 --> 01:00:05.520 that ultimately it came out to be in 01:00:02.760 --> 01:00:08.010 this no curriculum business it was a 01:00:05.520 --> 01:00:10.790 pass/fail Medical School for which I was 01:00:08.010 --> 01:00:13.230 very grateful but because it was so 01:00:10.790 --> 01:00:16.110 overwhelming and I am struck now 01:00:13.230 --> 01:00:18.180 reflecting on this on the incredible 01:00:16.110 --> 01:00:21.060 decency and I would even go as far as to 01:00:18.180 --> 01:00:23.280 says the wisdom of the the people who 01:00:21.060 --> 01:00:25.860 were there realizing that something 01:00:23.280 --> 01:00:27.640 fabulous could happen and that their 01:00:25.860 --> 01:00:29.620 responsibility was to create 01:00:27.640 --> 01:00:31.480 Foreman where where that excitement 01:00:29.620 --> 01:00:33.490 could take hold that I just want to 01:00:31.480 --> 01:00:34.180 thank you for helping me to relive that 01:00:33.490 --> 01:00:38.470 a little bit 01:00:34.180 --> 01:00:41.620 thanks for saying it okay I have a 01:00:38.470 --> 01:00:46.540 little comment I'm sorry to push the red 01:00:41.620 --> 01:00:49.260 button yeah I did okay and I was when 01:00:46.540 --> 01:00:52.450 little bird came to Stanford I was a 01:00:49.260 --> 01:00:54.550 pediatric resident and at the same time 01:00:52.450 --> 01:00:57.580 the pediatrician also famousy chairman 01:00:54.550 --> 01:01:00.640 and as kids they had been in the same 01:00:57.580 --> 01:01:02.500 kindergarten and they said that all 01:01:00.640 --> 01:01:04.330 through their lives they have been 01:01:02.500 --> 01:01:08.920 competing one against the other except 01:01:04.330 --> 01:01:13.180 that Lederberg was always ahead but one 01:01:08.920 --> 01:01:15.010 of the entrance a few years later in 01:01:13.180 --> 01:01:18.490 Pediatrics who married bled over 01:01:15.010 --> 01:01:23.260 afterwards and murdery told me that she 01:01:18.490 --> 01:01:25.750 asked him once how can you be so patient 01:01:23.260 --> 01:01:29.710 sometimes when you are in a group of 01:01:25.750 --> 01:01:33.490 people that know that everybody is 01:01:29.710 --> 01:01:36.310 discussing things so slowly and he said 01:01:33.490 --> 01:01:40.510 well I learn from very young age that my 01:01:36.310 --> 01:01:42.880 mind was going too fast so I could go to 01:01:40.510 --> 01:01:44.800 a certain point I knew how long it would 01:01:42.880 --> 01:01:46.810 take them to reach me there so I could 01:01:44.800 --> 01:01:49.570 turn off sleep of something else and go 01:01:46.810 --> 01:01:52.720 a little bit further and so on and keep 01:01:49.570 --> 01:01:54.990 on so in a way it matches what you said 01:01:52.720 --> 01:01:56.770 about his thinking when he was sitting 01:01:54.990 --> 01:01:59.020 by himself 01:01:56.770 --> 01:02:04.740 so anyway right so that was an 01:01:59.020 --> 01:02:04.740 interesting part of living thank you 01:02:06.610 --> 01:02:17.219 okay it's wrap up thanks for being here 01:02:10.590 --> 01:02:17.219 [Applause] 01:02:26.670 --> 01:02:28.730 you