Document jg3XVkVxoDDgnJq0Ko8YzeZop

I*ifflLIItodbmtoi m m m dsM m m CLINTON H. CRANE. PRESIDENT F. H. BROWNELL. VICE PRESIDENT F. W. ROCKWELL. VICE PRESIDENT FELIX EDGAR WORMSER. SECRETARY AND ' TREASURER -4-20 LEXINGTON AVENUE M- ; W YO RK, rcii 23 Dr. R. A. nehoe University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Dear Dr. henoe; A 3 promised, I an furnishing you with a copy of the publication of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of nator and industry, entitled, "liolten-Lcad, ^ead Guides, white Lead and Lead Dry-Colors" . I think it is an exceptionally fine paper on the subject and shows how si.-ple it is to take adequate precautions against the loan hazard in a lean plant. After I left Cincinnati I stopped off in Pailaaelphia and called on Dr. Rathmell, one of tue authors of the paper which you and I discussed in Cincinnati on in fant lead poisoning, as Norristown, Pa . , was quise close. I found Dr. Rathine11 a very agreeable, young nan, connec ted with the Norristown State hospital for the Insane. I expressed my skepticism of nis findings and he told me that the infant in question was his own son and that he, too, v.as puzzled on how a serious case of lead poisoning could occur from tue aluminum play toys. I asked him to show me the toys, which he did. ns i suspected, they are pure aluminum, the kind the t I a .i sure hundreds of thousands of children play with every day and have played with for years. As a matter of fact, these toys were made from a particularly fine grade of aluminum, produced by a very reputable organization. I asked Dr. Rathmeil if he had analyzed the toys for tneir lead content. He said ne had and that they contained .23 milligrams in cup and saucer. Conceding tne accuracy of his analytical work, tills would correspond to spectroscopic amounts of lead and I dare say all aluminum, not to mention copper, zinc and steel contain these spectroscopic amounts of leaci. in fact, I !onov no way, nor uoes metallurgy today, in which to remove completely these impurities. KE 0014686 Dr. ivehoe o Marcii 1940 This further Investigation of the case rein forced my own feeling about the unfairness and unsoundness of the article that was written about lead. Dr. hathmell, in extenuation of his view point, asked no: whether I had seen Dr. Williams ' article on the ' serious case of lead poisoning that occurred from very meminute amounts of lead so that it was quite evident to that lie was swayed in his own study by the professional literature on the subject. That is the unfortunate thing about tiie entire episode, to ay mind, for undoubtedly the Katnmeli article will go down in medical literature un contested and influence the thinking of thousands of physicians who are only vaguely familiar at best with leae toxicology. Dr. Rathmell goes on the assumption that ais diagnosis was lead poisoning and couldn't no anything else. I told him I only had one regret, that my own children -weren't of an age that would enable me to feed taci not only one, but repeated doses of lead in a soluble fora to tne tune of .Of milligrams ana I expressed groat difficulty in even measuring this minute amount of lead, which would correspond to the site of a dust particle. The more I study this case tne more I am impressed with its absurdity but i imagine it would bo ratnor difficult to have anythin;done about it because tne profess venal r e - putation of tne authors is at stake. . It was a great pleasure for me to be with you in Cincinnati last Tuesday ana I am already Looking forward to our next meeting. With kindest regaras, H Z 0014687