Document Lo5bwa0KvkXgMpbJO2Qbxp1m3

March lu, 194? Mr. Philip Drinker, Department of industrial Hygiene, Harvard University School of Public Health, 55 Chattuck Street, Boston 15* Mass. Dear Phil: * I have your letter concerning our collaboration in analytical work from time to time as required by circumstances at Alton, Illinois plant of American Smelting and Defining Company. He shall-be very glad to do what we can to assist you and them in this matter, although we are quite unwilling to be drawn into situ&tions that involve the necessity of testimony in medico-legal cases, except as such a si tuation is absolutely necessary. In most such situations testimony with reference to an analytical result and its meaning can be done by deposition, and perhaps we would stretch-a point in a case of unusual significance. As you are probably aware, we are not interested in diagnostic work for fees or in medico-legal work for fees, and in the regular course of our work of this type we are much more concerned to have an adequate record of the case for our own Knowledge and scientific use than ve are ia fees. However, we collect ^5*'JV per analysis to cover the actual cost of the work when it is not a financial burden on a patient. Consequently, I should like to have such informstion in this type of case# otherwise we would not be justified in concerning ourselves with it, since as you will pro bably realize, our facilities could be used entirely in.this type of work if we were willing to permit it. The only other point of importance is that ve do not like to examine aliquots of any material. Not only is the difficulty of aliquoticn too great in our minds, especially in the case of a sample of urine, but also we do not like to do analyses on samples except as they are collected in our containers by methods which we prescribe. (The moment a sample of urine has developed a precipi tate, It is nc longer suitable for aliquotion, since the precipitate is likely to adhere to the container and since it always contains a sizable portion of the available lead.) Ve do not like to analyze a single sample of anything, iin relation to a diagnostic problem. Bather ve insist upon having multiple samples or more than one material. Our routine in these cases consists In providing the equipment for taking two samples of blood and a spot sample 01 urine, with instructions for both procedures. The.containers can be mailed to and fro, and the results can be made available within 0015228 Mr. Philip Drinker, Department of Industrial Hygiene - (2) - March lu, 1947 48 hours after we receive the samples. In this way we feel sure that, ve can obtain reliable results which ve can safely Interpret. This is the procedure that I would suggest In the occasional case In which oar assistance may he desired. There will then be no question whatever about the accuracy of the results of the validity of the conclusions drawn in relation to a clinical record and an occupational history. Incidentally the tubes which we supply are a modification of a Keydel tube, into which blood can be drawn with a minimum of difficulty and with little or no opportunity for e h lamina lion. We require two samples hut charge for only one analysis since for our own purposes we choose to take two analytical me tnods n parallel. This makes a little additional trouble, but /hen ilie t-e suits agree all around, the probabilities in relation :o chance errors are sosmall an to be at tho vanishing point. I hope this proposal will suit you and your friends in the American imeiring and Defining Company. -Incerely your; rAK el U <C Mx* o X,. cJ * Bucic iobert A. Hehoc, M. B. Kff 0015229