Document 449rOoMD2d767EELDgE0xp9mV

January 21, 1961 Charles H. Rammelkamp, Jr., M.D. Professor of Medicine Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland, Ohio Dear Doctor Rammelkamp: I encountered an article in one of our newspapers concerning a "Mysterious Yugoslav Disease", your hypothesis concerning it, and your proposed method of investigating it under the sponsor ship of the National Heart Institute. Making all due allowance for the vagaries and inaccuracies of the daily press, I found myself considerably disturbed by the concept both of the disease and the manner of investigating it, in view of the national and international significance of this matter. For this reason alone, I am willing to run the risk of addressing you in a somewhat unusual manner. As jou may know, some of us in this Laboratory have been investi gating the behavior of lead in the animal organism for more than thii ty years, and during that period have developed the physiological and clinical methods by which the diagnosis of lead poisoning is best; approached in these days. I think I may say, on the background of ccuraulated evidence, that the diagnosis of lead poisoning is not elucidated but only confused by reliance upon the results obtained in the analysis of the excreta and body fluids after (in close temporal reli tionship) chelation therapy. I am also fully familiar with the one-time problem of the use of mill stor es repaired with solder for grinding grain. This problem may still exist for aught I know for certain, but let me suggest, on such volumes of evidence as would seem to be sufficient, that the accumulation of lead in the body in amounts that do not produce overt disease in some individuals, has never been known to cause vascular discase, chronic nephritis or any other form of illness or disease, We are talking here about earlier and non-quantitative concepts of the disease of lead poisoning - concepts that never were substantiated, and that, while not`totally discarded in our day,for many reasons, are adhered to largely because they are sanctioned by their antiquity. I believe I am familiar with most of the world's literature on this subj ect, as well as the resdlts of long-term epidemiological investigati on, having spent the greater part of my life in the study of this prob lem. If it should not be regarded as a somewhat bra3h (at my age, brashness N 6260 Charles H. Rammelkamp, Jr., M.D. - 2- January 21, 1961 has largely been dissipated) proffering of unsolicited advice, may I further suggest that there are means of getting at this problem, and of obtaining evidence which will be definitive in the diagnostic sense, and specific in relation to the sourcePof exposure to lead if such exposure exists. 1 should be glad to discuss these methods with you, should you feel Inclined to look into them. Incidentally, I have some professional contactsin Zagreb which might be extremely valuable to you if you are not already in touch with them. There are some veiy capable and well-informed people there, with specific reference to the problem of lead poisoning. If this is all a tempest in a teapot , I trust that you will not reg ard my concern in this matter as an unwarranted intrusion. And ineidentally, I am not,- in any sense, entering into a controversy, but; merely offering my help. Sincerely yours, Robert A. Sehoe, M. D. RAK:ss