Document bOY2wY6eKzBmygQw3kJddaxrk

It. Ccftlegel, H.P. Daicier-Bsnz A.G. ifeciieal Department 7CS2: Ginde If ingen ues t Germany June 22, 1971 - Dear Doctor Schlegel: The publication of the Proceedings" of the Conference in Amsterdam in November of 1968, which I was authorized to present to the Archives of Environmental Health, could not he carried cut in the manner in which it was hoped for by the leaders of the Conference, and I found it necessary to abide by the policies of the Archives in several matters, if anything was to come oz our efforts. The Archives operates under the general editorial policies of the American ?Aodical Association, and these require that all material presented to them for publication must be reviewed by the Chief Editor, the Editorial Board and certain reviewers selected by them. Their decision us to publication was final, and while I was shown every courtesy and consideration otherwise, the fate of the individual papers was essentially in their hands. I think one will fcave to admit that this is a proper policy on tab part of a distinguished professional journal, and while one's judgment would not always coincide with theirs, theirs is the responsibility. Consequently, I have done what I could to prepare material for publication to conform to their requirements, but I have not been free to publish all that was supplied to me or to decide the fate of certain papers. Yours was considered not to be entirely acceptable, as it was, while 1 did not"feel that I was at liberty to alter it so as to make it acceptable, even if I could do so. In fact, certain other papers dealt with much the same subject in a satisfactory manner, and it was felt by the reviewers that it constituted something of a repetition of the observations and experiences of other authors. I believe it is fair to say that none of us had a full understanding of what ws were supposed to g o . I, for one, as you will remember, gave no paper, but contented myself with presenting some relevant data which had been published elsewhere. Such a presentation was, of course, not suitable for publication as new data. I do not say this as a criticism of the arrangements made by Dr. Zielhuis, but rather as a mere statement of fact. The International Association has not had the means of arranging meetings of this type at its own expense, and according to any definitive plan. Consequently, this, as well as certain other professional meetings have not succeeded entirely in accomplishing their intended purpose. I trust, however, that we have learned something from this experience, and that when we assemble again, we shall all do a better job. I am not proud of my own accomplishment in editing the material of this Conference, and I am certainly embarrassed in having seemed to deal in an arbitrary manner with your.woxtk and that of others of the group. It would be a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet with you again under more favorable circumstances. K. Schlegel, M.D Page 2 Your paper can be offered for publication elsewhere, with better prospects for its acceptance, and I trust that you will do this. If you should wish me to return your manuscript, I shall be glad to do so. ( Cordially yours. RAK: v/b Robert A. Kehoe, M.D. Professor-'Emeritus of Occupational Medicine K& 0018380