Minutes Meeting Og Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine Held at Washington, D.C. June 25 & 26, 1954

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ADVISOilY COMMITTEG FOR BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE The forty - fifth meeting of the Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine was held a t the Atomic Energy Comdssion in Washington, D.C. , on Friday and Saturdqy, June 25; and 26, 1954. Ne d icine Mra Gioacchino Fail la Curt Stern (Saturday only) Richard Johnst on

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The Chairman convened the meeting a t 9:30 with all committee members present with the exception of Dr. Stern. He welcomed D r , Hastings and Dr. Wearn and then asked Dr. Bugher t o open the session by reviewing the current events and activities of the Division. (Dr. Stern joined the meeting on Saturday,) Dr. Bugher said that we are extremely pleased a t the ability of Dr. Hastings and Dr. Wearn during this period of university pressure toget away from their other responsibilities to join the session. character of the two-day session i s such that we would like to in form the former members of the things that have transpired i n the program i n which they have uorked so hard t o develop and also to discuss generally and obtain guidance on the directions t h a t we should follow i n the time ahead. He spoke of the regrets received from Dr. Gregg, Dr. Beadle at their being unable t o be present and of their expression of best regards t o the entire group. He pointed out that the Dr. Bugher stated t h a t with Mr. Tammaro servlng as Assistant General Manager for Research and Industrial Development that it had immensely increased the Divisionts capabilities. managing the Chicago Operations Office and his broad knowledge of the e n t i r e atomic energy program, both historically and technically, will be of great Mr. Tammarots long experience i n

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Continuing t o discuss pertinent matters, Dr, Bugher said t h a t Dr, LeRoy would not be joining the Division a s Deputy Director and that the Commission had asked Dr, Dunham t o serve i n t h a t capacity and he has accepted. The Committee both as a group and in did du ally exp-essed great satisfaction with this appointment, Dr, Bugher introduced Dr, Roy Albert of the Health and Safety Division of the New York Operations Office who is joining the Medical Branch, and , by this addition t o the staff it i s believed that it will strengthen very substantially the industrial medical program, New York The changes i n the matter of the New York Operations Office were reviewed, Dr, gugher said that production activities have been transferred t o Oak Ridge and, in general, all of the administration of production facilities of the Commission will sten from Oak Ridge, However, there is not t o be a change i n the function of the Operations Office i n New York as far as i t s msponsibi lit ios in the area of research and develop&nt activities in the Northeastern Area are concerned, Furthermore it does not imply any diminution i n the function of the New York Health and Safety Laboratory under direction of M r , Merrill and Medicine as a working extension of the Divlsion, but an extension which is available t o the Commission generally. The laboratory will be officially under the Division of Biology Dr. Bugher explained the work t h a t was involved i n the Castle series of weapon tests and he said that the series out had it not been f o r the prior experiments a t the Nevada Proving : could not have been carried

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Grounds. The experiments were made possible i n a large part due t o the very hard work which the Division staff mcmbors ham put in, not only i n working a t the site itself, in relation t o the program, but i n the area of coordinating all t h e various public agencies and rasponsibilities i n the field of health and safety, particularly with reference t o fall-out Dr. Bugher told of the exposure t o fall-out of certain test personnel and to the peoples of the atolls of Ragelap, exposures received by the residents of bngelap A t o l l and of the comparatively small exposure t o the residents of the Uterik Atoll. the persons on Rongelap, Ailinginae, and Uterik were evacuated by the Task Force t o Kwajalein. He referred t o the serious Dr. Bugher further reviewed the problem of the 23 fishermen who were ina Japanese fishing boat just north of Rongelap about 70 o r 80 miles from the detonation and were exposed t o radioactive fall-out, of the serious illness of the men; however, he was pleased t o report that they are coming along all right and that they will recover. Dr. Eugher reported t o the committee on the contaminated tuna incident and of the concern of the fishing industry. had gone t o Tokyo t o assist D r , Morton of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission with this additional problem. Japan with Dr, Lauren Donaldson t o s t u a various aspects of the problem, He stated that &.Eisenbud He spoke too of Dr. Boss being i n '. - Visit to Dr. Green gave a very interesting talk on the - results of h i s visit t o the two Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission installations Japan. Primarily t o review the genetic program and t o obtain background of first-hand

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information t h a t might be useful i n discussing the features of the genetic program for the next year o r two. s is ted over a period of nearly six years of stumg five indicators of radiation damage t o the genetics system. i n newborn offspring, the frequency of malformations, frequency of still births,birth weight, and death rate in the first nine months! period, He said that the genetic program conThese indicators were sex ratio D r , Green spoke of principal problems that concern the staff of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission--what might be done toward orientating the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission staff members i n the history and present problems of the Japanese-United States re3ationship, how long the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission may be expected t o continue i n Japan and, whenever it is terminated, how t o dispose of the facilities. If and when it is determined that the research should be terminated, the real question o f what t o do with the Atomic Bomb Casualty Conmission facilities on one hand and the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission scientific data on the other Dr.Fail la raised the question of whether the data might be turned over t o the Japanese and would it be wise not t o l e t them have it--if it could be done without antagonizing them, Dr. Bugher stated that we are committed t o leave the basic data i n Japan even though we have duplicate compilations here i n the United States because there i s inherent in this whole problem fundamentally a cooperative

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, Reca it ul ation of current status of Mr. Stanwood summarized the 1954 budget by explaining that the Division had a total of $26 million for the biomedical research program, that $19 million went t o the major laboratories i n AEC installations, and $7.million went t o the off-site univervity institution research conHe spoke of the current budget wherein the Division had requested $27.6 million for the fiscal year 1955 and, upon review by the Commission, it was reduced t o $27.1 and, as a result of congressional action, the final figure will be an allocation of .$27 million. and needs of D r , Bugher opened the general discussion on the trends and needs of programs in the Division of Biology and Medicine, including the National Laboratories, by stressing the need for scientific manpower trained i n the biological and medical sciences, He brought out that the problems which we would like discussed are in part problems of emphasis in subject material, what we have done, and where we should go. Dr. Bugher pointed out that another general factor in this whole problem of research concerns the levels a t which research should be supported by the government and the criteria which are soundly t o be employed. He stated further t h a t fundamental research cannot be systematized, centralized, coordinated, and administered. Dr. Doisy asked U any significant progress i s being made toward the cooperation with other countries of the development of atomic power f o r

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Dr. Bugher asked Mr, Tammaro t o reply to that question. Ei6.. Tammaro said that the problem is being explored and that there isto be i n the near future an international meeting of scientific people from all over the world t o discuss the peacetime uses of atomic energy. D r . Wearn inquired whether any further progress has been made on the exchange of infornation as was mggested a t the Chalk River meeting i n Dr. Bugher was pleased t o reply that Chairman Strauss had arranged f o r a new topic under the Cooperative Program under Area 2, Health and Safety, a new topic which i n essence reads that the United States, Canada, and Great Britain may exchange information on the effects of atomic explosions on man and h i s environment, of information which has much bearing on c i v i l defense, we have taken enormous steps ahead. Therefore, in that area of exchange Dr. Fail la propounded the question: project Gabriel? What i s the objective? that is the present purpose of A broad discussion ensued. Dr. Bugher remarked that research i s continuing on the project, I1GabrielTtis being extended t o include more critical evaluation o f the possible hazard from radioisotopes of other chemical elements, particularly ruthanium and iodine. Dr. Dunham reviewed the trends i n the Medical Branch research program and very briefly discussed the new projects that had been approved since the last meeting. Dr. LeFevre spoke on the four projects t h a t had been approved by the

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Research Cornittee from the 22 accepted under the Teletherapy Evaluation Board program. Under the Tels%herapy Evaluation Board plan, the Commission will contribute the cost o f the source itself and $10,000 annually t o the operating expense of each project. the tele the raF jun it and the remaining operating expense, The institution will furnish of the useful time of the machine will go into the AEC research program and the other three-quarters t o the services a t the institution. ' The projects were thoroughly discussed. Dr, Cantril inquired over how many years i s it thought that this support will be given t o the tele - therapy projects by the AEC. years has been suggestod. Dr, Fail la stated that this function could bo probably performed better by the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Dunham brought out that it is not the intention of the Division t o support all 22 institutions, therapy Evaluation Board i s not considered a very good thing by radioloDr. Fail la pointed out that the Telebution of $2,500 and those that contributed were not the best institutions in the field. there is not a first - class radiologist and yet they like to control all the work i n the whole country. much as the projects are individualized and absorbed i n the genera program of the Medical Branch, t h a t it is a very wholesome trend. me 0- requirement f o r membership t o the Board was the contriHe remarked also that on the Teletherapy Evaluation Board Dr. Warren was of tha opinion t h a t inasCant ril agreed With Dr, Fail la and said that he thinks the money spent

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on the projects w i l l not give the return anticipated, followed with the statement that he didn't like the way h. Brucer, Chairman of the Teletherapy Evaluation Board, handles the Board, antagonizes alot of well established and influential individuals, He stated Wt her that the Board is not founded on a goodbasis and it is carried out in away that causes more trouble than it does good, Dr. Ifamen asked Dr. Fail la if he had aqy intrinsic objection t o evaluation under AEC auspices, Dr. Fail la replied: "Not if the project i s good. Not i n principle, certainly not,t1 He mid that in these four projects he doubts that anything will come out of them because of the fact that they dontt have enough patients, they dontthave the proper personnel, and it will be a therapy program, Dr, Stakman asked Dr. Dunham whether the discussion on the teletherapy projects was a sufficient guide as t o the sentiments of the Committee, Dr. Dunham provided the Committee with an outline of where the emphasis l i e s in the medical research program and where work is being accelerated and perhaps other work is tapering off. Each item in the trend i n the research program w a s carefully considered and studied. Dr. Green had reported previously on the Atomic Bod Casualty Cornmission program when he discussed his &it t o Japan, Dr. LeFewe and M r , Haggerty joined Dr, Dunham i n explaining the sub-items under somatic

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Dr. Hastings remarked that it is not only a very impressive program but it is extremely well organized and easy t o grasp what work is under way. He dld suggest, however, that it would be wise t o continue t o emphasize work on the t i s s u e electrolytes and the problem of metabolism, intermediate me%abolism, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. mthermore , Dr. Hastings added that he would not curtail in any way the study of supportive measures relating to systematic and careful control of fluid, electrolyte, and acid base measures, b, Doisy agreed with Dr. Hastings and stated that the study of adaptive enzymes should not be overlooked. D r , Burnett inquired whether there llis any w a y you can stir up some Dr. Dunham replied i n the negative andi nter est in the vascular field," asked for tho assistance of the Committee i n directing t o the attention of the Division people who had a genuine and cont-lnuing interest in the Committee adjourned for lunch a t 12:50, Dr. Dunham indicated t h a t Dr. Albert would bring the Conrmittee up t o date on toxicological problems, Dr, Albert spoke on nonradioactive agents with Special emphasis on beryllium encountered i n plant operations. I n connection with the cancer program and discussion thereon, Mr. Haggerty said t h a t new attempts t o attach boron t o organic molecules were being studied, He seld that a t …