Document kD4dJ904q7Vx7zNz79NzEjYOB

lLal J. B. HAFFNER,PRESIDENT wl. M. BOWLBV.vice PRESIDENT K.C. BROWN ELI., VICE PRESIDENT O. A. MARTINO, VICE PRESIDENT ROBERT LINDLEY ZIEGFELD, SECRETARY-TREASURER 4-20 LEXINGTON AVENUE NEW YORK 17.N.Y. MANFRED BOWDITCH DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND SAFETY June 1, 1955 Robert A. Kehoe, M. D., Director Kettering Laboratory of Applied Physiology University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Eden Avenue Cincinnati 19, Ohio Dear Bobi I think you may read with some interest the two enclosed para graphs from Dr. Chisolm, the first of which refers to the subject of my let ter to you of May 2ij.th, on which I hope very much to have your views when you can get around to responding to my miscellaneous recent pesterings. As to the second, which takes into consideration one of the points I had in mind in my as yet unanswered letter to Randy Byers, I will comment for the moment only that I find quite fascinating the variety of rejoinders elicited from different medical sources by the same query. While all of this is helpful, and in that respect all to the good. it serves once more to point up the need of some such diagnostic standardizer as that medical film I have proposed. Let us hope that the laboratory sur vey on Which the Cincinnati USFHS boys are embarking will accomplish some thing to that end. Sincerely, Escerpts from letter dated May 27, 1955 from J. J. Chisolm Jr., M. D. to Manfred Bowditch. With regard to the anonymous request for financial sup port, I think the following comments are justified. The problem the applicant wishes to undertake should be classified as one in basic metabolic research into the biochemical mechanism of lead toxicity. It is the type of problem which may become very com plicated and therefore one in which the investigator cannot guarantee that he w.HX be able to finish the work in any speci fic time limit. In fact one could estimate that he might re quire at least two to three years to produce anything, particu larly if he is starting from scratch. The prospect that the findings would immediately add a useful therapeutic agent to the present armamentarium seem slight. In short it is not the type of problem which is likely to yield a yes or no answer from a few' experiments. Thether the LIA wishes to undertake the sup port which would have to be a continuing one, of basic r iroh is the question, I believe, you must first answer. I am afraid neither Dr. Harrison or I are able to add very'much to the case of the Chinese infant on the basis of the data supplied. There is no comment, for example, about x-rays of the long bones. If broad lead line3 are present, they could sup port the idea of long - and perhaps prenatal - absorption of lead by the infant. If present, a further search for a common source in mother and child is warranted. If on the other hand lead lines are absent or faint, this would indicate exposure of brief duration. This might bo explained if the infant had swallowed a leaded foreign body which remained in the intestine. We had such a case in an infant who swallowed the lead weight from a toy doll. The weight was still in the stomach three months later when the infant was hospitalized. Further than this on the basis of the information supplied I fear we have no suggestion. K^ 00 1 A ,Q u X H: \J N18553.01