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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC LAISORATORY L o g Alamos, New Mexico University of California I have just mitten Dr. Foreman regarding the slim possibility that his calcium ethylenediamine tetra-acetate might possibly be used i n a therapeutic test on one or two subjects known t o have measurable body burdens of plutonium. i n sane daubt and will require more consideration. him t o discuss it with you. I would like to take this opportunity t o thank you for the time you devoted t o me while I was in Berkeley. uas under rather trying circumatancea and t h a t ye were unable t o make more out of it. Needles8 t o say, log decision was somew h a t influenced aut of persantu consideration far you. I would like t o say in all sincerity that we need your advice and help generally far more than v8 need your help t o play nursemaid t o a few mice in a rather questionable experiment. The matter is still I am sorry that it
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ALAhfOS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY University of California There is t h e possibility of getti&; two persons with measurable amounts of activity uno could be treated with small doses of calcium ethylenediamine tetra-acetate. Therapeutic administration, of course, cannot be decided on until a certain amount of additional experimental evidence will convince us that such administration is both safe and proper. for approximately five years. Their excretion rate is now so lou that it is practically impossible t o measure it by present methods. It would, however, be quite measurable if it were a factor of 5 t o 10 There would have t o be atleast two cooperating agencies and yourself hVOlV8d in t h e study.- Dr. Joe Howland of Rochester and Dr. Morris Milligan a t Los Alamos. t o do the urine assays. excretion base lines and would, of course, be the ones t o perfm the analyses after administration of the treatment. The information derived from t h i s work would, of course, have t o be regarded as classified until such time as it couLd possibly be I n these two cases the activity has been fixed Dr. Milligants group are the logical ones They have already established urinary Let me know whether or not you are interested in pursuing these posa ibi li ties further. both t o Los Alamos and Rochester, New York. talking the situation over with Joe. in the matter. It may involve your doing a little commuting I would appreciate your Please l e t me know your feel-s
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b o Alams, New Wexico Thank you for your letter of December 12. 1 greatly sppreciate your interest and effort0 fn aearchlng for ruttable carom for uee of Ca-EDT4. Both Pr. Hamilton and 182x1 in oamplete accold with jour feelings that no harm t o any patient should moult from our experimental efforts. I am buoy gatherlng a l l information that l e available om the hmuu use of IMW. Rubin, of Georgetown Unlverrlty, bsa publlahed an lobbreetlng article that @veo eome infomation about tbla. -74 419, 1-0. T comsponb vlth him a t tima and am saklng him t o send you a reprlnt 88 vell am additloas1 Inforation that he ham. You will see that pn# i r a rather toric agentbecsueo of ita effect on merum caloium levels out br our exporimnts In rata. Uhetbsr thio i o true In humnnm we w i l l never know until It l r tried. It i o In Proc. 8oc. Brp. Biol. 80 Mod. %em rhauld be no rpsclor difference. bbln har @ma la tho fom of a m~eriumchelatb to quite a numbor of patlentr. Thio, hovever, war aaL3 In rilligram amounta. I vi11 rand p u mprbt of thio work am 00- am I OM. Pr. Robort Chhrier of pbcrarsnto has a large rerler of caooo whellsia ho har wed iaxm oikratlon ar facer UI kcatme vow little of the caapamd l m abrorbed through tihe umteml ~1008a. I am vriting hl ral ro for lnforrstion and ohall for mnwrval of umteral ca bull.lhim actunlly i o not the of lntemrt to you. I can conceim of aoi tur rtl on jhsroln we could ure Ca-KDTA In humno vlthc n n ~advermb crltlclam, Ao you rill m a l l , thio compound mhould be vem effiat 1- in tb. tmat.snt of load pol om^. If ve ovor c o r acmes a oaae of 8 pereon remrrly ill vith load poieon-, it voul(L to do rather tbn t o -0 it tint on paplo rho era ontimly v e l l .
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY Los Alamor, New Mexico University of California Thnnka for your letter of December 18th regarding the human I think your caution in this matter is w e l lapplication of versene. founded and I am @ te willing to abide by your decision. Joe Howland fits i n t o the picture through the fact that he is i n contact with the patients. I n fact, the patients are under the care of Dr, Waterhouse, who is associated both with Strong Memorial Hospital and with Joe's gruup. They have undertaken the colleutian of more urine samples for us and are obtaiaing cangilete physical examinations, including an X-ray survey of the skeletal structures. As the patients are essentially his, any arrangement whiah may be made would have t o include him. I think your work is very good and should be continued, Perhaps it is wise, at least for the present, t o drop consideration of its w e in the caaea mentiamd.
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UNIVERSITY OF CALl FOR NIA LOS ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY Los Alamoa. New Mexico University of California I have been following with apeat deal of interest the correspondence which has been going back and f o r t h between you and Wright Langham on the subject of possible clinical uses of versene. It is very obvious that this material is an extremely powerful drug and that it may have potentialities which may not yet have been considered. it is certainly out of the question t o consider clinical trials on humans a t the present time. On the other hand, it seems t o me t h a t you and Hafiy Foreman have turned up one of the most promising leads which has come along so far. Certainly no one else has yet put forth any my of increasing the excretion of plutonium once it becomes fixed i n bone. that we do not yet have any really satisfactory method of liberating lead frcm the same location. For this reason It is equally true Iwant you to feel, therefore, that the work which you and Harry Foreman a r e doing on this subject has our full encauragement. Ve have no desire to steal your thunder, but we do wish you t o feel that aur facilities are at your disposal if it is felt that we can be of any assistance. It i s certainly QUF hope that more prellmfnary work can be done so that w e can later consider the advlsablllty of using the material on humans with a clear conscience. Very sincerely youra, Health Division Leader