Document 85g85y8zxQva29nDerLj8a3dy

-tf March % 19 3 7 D r. Fr e d e ric k L. Hoffman Can ce r Re s e arch l a b o r a t o r y 13 3 So h th 3 6 th S t r e e t Philadelphia, Pa. Dear Do cto r Hoffman* At the re qu e s t o f Dr. B r is to l and D r. McCo n n e ll I h a ve c o n s e n te d , somewhat r e l u c t a n t l y , to a c t as Chairm an o f th e Co s s a itte e on le a d P o is o n in g ' o f th e Am erican P u b lic H e a lth A s s o c i a ti o n f o r th e c u rre n t y e a r . My r e l u c t a n c e was o c c a s io n e d n o t s o much b y my un w illin g n e s s to work as by a c e r ta i n do ubt a s to what s h o u ld b e a c c o m p lis h e d b y s u ch a Co m m itte e . I n e e d n o t s tr e s s th e p o in t th a t I have been ve ry much in te r e s te d in the s u b je c t o f le a d p o is o n in g from bo th a c l i n i c a l and an e xpe rim e n tal p o in t o f vie w , bu t i t i s my f e e l i n g th at what i s n e e de d i n th e f i e l d i s more e x p e rim e n ta l work a lo n g c e r t a i n l i n e s . My own I n t e r e s t s prompt me to c a r r y on e xp e rim e n ta l work in th o s e phases o f the m a tte r which seem to me t o b o f th e m o s t p r a c t i c a l im p o rta n ce . However, a s id e from c e r ta in m atte rs which m igh t be re gard e d as con t r o v e r s i a l a n d , t h e r e f o r e , s c a r c e l y am e n able t o Com m ittee a c t i o n , i t seems to me t h a t c u r r e n t kn o w le d ge Is c o n s i d e r a b ly ahead o f cu rre n t p ra ctic e # I t may w e ll be th a t th e p re s e n t Comm t t e e wo uld n o t re ga rd t h e r e p o r t o f seme y e a r s ago as the l a s t word on t h i s b u b ;fe ct. X c o n fe s s th a t th e re a re ce rtain phases of th e repo rt th at are not a lto ge th e r s a tis f a c t o r y * Be t h i s a s i t m ay, I am ve r y much more im pre s s e d b y th e v a lu e o f p u b lis h e d e x p e r im e n ta l work th an I am by th e p r e p a r a ti o n o f r e p o r t s , a lth o u g h I am e n t i r e l y w i l l i n g t o spend some tim e and tr o u b le in Co m m itte e work i f th e re is an yth in g to be acco m plish ed. The p urpo s e o f t h i s l e t t e r 13 to f i n d o u t th e r e a c t i o n o f a l l members o f th e Com m ittee as to what we m ay hope to a c c o m p li s h , and a s to what e f f o r t s we m igh t m o s t l o g i c a l l y make d u rin g th e p r e s e n t y e a r . I s h o u ld Ap p r e c i a te i t v e r y much i f yo u wo uld g i v e some th o u gh t t o th e la t t e r and I f you would l e t me h ave yo u r s u g g e s ti o n s a t an e a r l y d a te * I am q u i t e s u r e we a r e a l l c o n vin c e d t h a t I Dr* F r e d e r i c k L* Hoffaan 2 the in cide n ce o f le ad po is o n in g, in in d u s try p a r tic u la r ly , i s u n n e c e s s a r i l y h i g h * The p r a c t i c a l q u e s tio n w h ich a r i s e s in my m ind, th e r e fo r e , i s what can be done about i t b y our Co m m itte e and b y th e Am erican P u b l i c H e a lth A s s o c i a t i o n * Sin cerely yours, RAKs is Ro be rt A. Ke h b e ,M *D *