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Declassified record · U.S. Department of Energy

Memo to Commissioners and Division Heads, Subject: Meeting of the Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine

Dated
Jan 2, 1948
Document type
Correspondence
Length
8 pages
Open the original scanArchive record OSTI ID 16296060 · public domain

Document text

Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.

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erg and Division Heads SUBJECT; Meeting of the for B to lc gy and Medicine The flfth neetlhg -af the Pdvisory Conmlttee for Biology and Hedlcine w i l l be held January 8, 9, and 10, 1948, at 9:30 A,M., at.Sos Blaclos, In vlt qt ion le cordially extended to at te pd this meeting. In spect $on of Fac illt i e e 1. Consideration o f Draft Minutes of meeting p f December 13, 1947. I 2. Proposed tist of C and tant a for Cases of Illness and InJq pRoB4Ep: To establish a list cf bonsultants skilled In the various aapects of nedicine as they .relate to Atonic Energy. The 6e contpltant 8ereto. eerve, w I $ h eult able remunerac tivee &A cases which ape alleged tore at from special trl but lon has beeq ccngldered in addition to profesaional In g eLect4g these neq, geographical dip

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ii list of these consultants follows: Dowdy, Andres He Brooke Gen, Hospt, We stern Reserve The'Medlcal Board of Beview and the rn teri, Cormittee on 3,iology a d qedicine have recopnended that steps be taken t o Insure the dissenination of information in the fields of 3ioZogy and Medicbe & s they relate to Atonic %ergye Research on Atonic Energy" which presents reprinted aba tracts of material publiehed by institutions which are not conneoted with.the A t present, the Technical Info wb Thla guide is distributed only t o A.E.C.' installation6 and The Technical, Infornation Pivision a l s o publiehe6 "Abstracts of contains only material front he P,E.C, prodecte.. tribute d to any iq st it uti on requesting it and i;s routinely 'addressed toall A.E.0.. installatioss and to the allied qb ivers l ties. The Atonic Energy Act of 1446 .states that the' &.issemination of Scientific and tech nl cal ' in for nation should be Fermltted and encour'aged, 8, Berryhlii, Dean, School of Medical ScPences; Vnlvt of .YJt'C.T

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Thurman. D. Hitchin, President, Wake Forest College, Wake Forest, N.C. C. C. Carpenter, Dean, School of Medicine, Wake Forest Col,, WinstonWalter E. Moursund, Dean, School of Medicine, Baylor Univ., Hcuston, Tex, Ward Darleyt Dean, School of Medicine, Denver, Colo. (Univ, of Colo,) D r . Caleb 3'. Gates, President, Unlv. of Denver, Denver, Colo. Harry K. Newburn, President, Univ. o f Oregon, Nene, Ore. David W. E. Baird, Dean,School o f Medicine, Univ, of Oye,, Portland, Ore, Dr. P e t e r H. Odegard, President, Reed College, Portland, Ore, D r . August Leroy Strand, President, Oregon State College, Corvallis, Ore. "In l i n e with Its policy of Intensive exploration of ,the Channels whereby atomic enerq nay be applied for the benefit of mankind, the Atomic Energy Cow is sl on has recently constituted a Division O f Biology 4nd Medioine. This Division aqd its Advisory Com ltte e are . deeply concerned with the shortage of trained per saw el, both for practical control and appllcatlon and for baslc research. par,t, thle shortage, the Cornisston now has under consfderatfon a proposal phyalciane, bio log tst6 and phygiclst 8interested in biology o r nedicfne. Less Intensive training for gachelors of Science would also be envisaged, "In the course o f OUT consideratfon of possible fellowship train log progranst vanioqe institut ions have beep considered for the establishnent of training facilities on a regional basis, that six groups OF institution @nay be particularly suited t o carry on It is felt 1. Duke University, School of Medicine aad College of Arts and Sciences; Ud vera it y of North CaroJina School o f Medlo4e and College of & t g and Sciences; North Caroilna-State College of Agriculture and %gwer $ n g of the Uqiversity - of North Carolina aqd Wake Forest College, School of Mediche and College of Br;lt(; and Sciences. 12. Vniverslty of h chester ? School of Medicine aq4 Dentistry., - 14: Unlversity of Colorado School of Medlclne and Unlverslty Baylor University, School o f Medlclne and Dentistry and of Denver, School of &ngiaeertng, Un$verelty of Oregon: School of Mediclae, and t h e Untverefty cf Oyegoa, Reed College aqd Oregon State College,

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"A training prograa heg alrea&y been undertaken by the University of Boche Bter , and t entat iae errangenent s have been made fer one at the UnitrePsity of California, Los Angeles. "You will ndp tht the groups of schools have been considered fn relation to possiblel caoper'ative effort between schcols of Medicine and Departnent sof Fhyqics and Mathenatics, and tn rel atl on to geographid "In order t o explore furthep the various aspects of dcha training prograu, It would be appreciated If you o r some othef. represent atl ve of your institution collld attend a conference which isto b e held at the office of the Atonic Energy Com is sl on,19th Street axid Constitution Avenue, Washington, D*.C., on January 21, 1948, at The Co!plikslon will be glad to defray your expenses." Uae of AT Institute of pathology for Ceqtral Registry and Respository o f Medical and 3iological Yate rials Relating t o Atonic hergy. for the preservation of medical and biological nate rials rel at bg to these aspects of a tonic energy, Institute of Pathology ISw i qu ely fitted for such a progran I n view of ita competency, location,ph y sia al facilities aad reputation, PROW : The natural $go$ation of may of the inportant reuearch fac ll ltl eq of the,AEC causes a lack of connunloatfon between s cleat is ta, the research workers, as well a a for the good of the Atonic Energy Connission, It wad be advisable t o hat ltute a program for aabbat ical leave 6 whereby the It Is felt that for the benefit of various workers wQl be allowed t o spend an adequate the pivision of Biology and b dlc lp e approve the designation of the Army Institute Qf Pathology a8 the central registry and repository of Mediad and biological nate rials relating PECOMfiiENDA'PIWS: It is recomeaded t bt the Advisory Connittee for per icd of time &n work at the other institut'ionq.

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€GCOHFEIlDATI@N: It i s recornended that the Cm mission authorize its contractors t o grant non-cumulative leaves i n the cmount of six months every three years to senior scientist8 working in Biology and &dicine for the furthering of their rehearch in universit iec or other institutions approved by the Division of Bic logy and Medicine, of Tenporary Chairman during Dr. Gregg' 6 Absence: Gregg will leave this country In the near future for a Eurcpe and a Temporary Chairnw i s needed t o act inhia absence.' Study on Patients who have Received Radioactive Isotopes, A continuing probleq $ 8 that cf the effect of radiation on li Ping hunap tia & e s ? In the radioactive isotopeg of rad latt on aad as such re-presest Q group which should be etudied Pbgn tins tci tine to detect any deleterious effects that @y become nasl fest. Studies would include a physical evaluatios, 'a conplete wooc count, urinalysis and other recowend an allocation of $50,000 for use In a follobdup 9. Re search Project sfor Consideration: , a. General statepent by Inter in Director o f Division of Biology and b. University of Cdi for nie. School o f Medicine 3 Pr. Bobert Stone TRO3LEtl: Dr. Robert Stoqe i s Professor of Radiology at the SchQol of tledicine, University of C a l i f orpla, and was Med++al Director cf t h e Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago f o r the Manhattan District, He has made extensive Dr. Stone kizs proposed that ' the Atonic Energy Cp mi j sio ~

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finance thz ccaskruction of a building and an InstrumenC at the Univeb'sity cf California Hospital for the study o f radioLbioiog$cal effects of high energy radiations. He is pcr ti cula rly interested la the effect e of high energy beta particles such as night be obtained frona be)atron o r an electro statia generator and energies of the order of thirty vf ive nil lion volt a. Such a program would require enough f inancine toset up an instrunent at about $77,OOO t o $lOO,OoO each plus build iw to house the instrument, experiaental laboratory and anlnal housing. I RECOI4l ~ ATION : It 5 s recowended that the Advieom Cornittee fer t o beBiology awl Medicine approve a grant for allooated tothe University of California School of Medicine f o r a one-year period beginning February 1, ljk3. 10, Massachusetts Institute 9f Technology t. Harvard Medical School, FROBLEM: Since 1940, there has been i n progress a joint study by physicians of the Feter. Bent Brigham Hoepital and the Harvard Medical Sahool and .phy$icist B at the Radioact ivfty Center of the Maesachusetts Institute cf TechnoJogy, Thfe group ha6 made many Inpvrtant contributions on the role of iron, zinc and other metalF IQ the net a boli a of human erythrocytes and Ieukocytes apd it 16 studying the alter a - tions of these precesses In b bod dysCrasi4s. Recent develcpnents emphasize the inpcrtance o f zinc inthe white bl cod cells in rel at fc n to leukenfa, XECOMEENDA!FION: It is recommended that t h e Gffice of Naval Research be nc tiffed that funds in the mount of $7jt650are available .to be all cca ted to b@ssaChUsetta Institute cf f e ~ hso log yand Harvard Unl ~ erslt yfor mpport of a research prograt? under the direct i cn of John Gibson TII, Jose7.h rkrb and Bobley

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FROBLE24! The minar y objectjQe bf thib research would be t o elucidzte t h e nature of i.ad&tibn induced gene an6 chncnascmal changes. The investigation would be divided into three parts, the firstt t c use Neurospora Crassa in a study of those genes that control specific cheoical reactions concerned with netabollan inoluding the biosynthesis of biologically gation will study in detail t be nature o f radiation- - induced mta tic nal, changes In Drosophila f4elanogaster The second part ofthe investlboth genetically and cytoloFically. The third division aims to learn a6 much as possible about the hereditary changes procuced i n Indian corn by various . types of high energy radiations. it w i l l conpare these with changes t h a t CCCUII spcntaneously and thrit may be induced by other nutagenic ,apents t o uake use of such hereditary nodif icat ions InIn ~ reas in go u r understanding cf the hereditary nechanisn at a basic level, and t c develop nethods by which induced chroposonal aberrations may be used i n physiological studies and i n corn iriprovement. It i s requested that the A.E.C, entertain requefit for surport of Fitrts Two and Three, RJ3CCMrWATI.0N: It i s recGmenCed that the Office of Naval Research - be not'lfied that funcis in the a u o w t of $47,496 are available to be allocated tc California Institute of Technology for support of ap nrt of the program on , the Genetics and Cytoiogical Effects of High Energy of Radiation Induced Gene and Chronosonal Mutations i n

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12. Other Ero j ect s UnCer Considerntion: e , Sloari-Ket ter ing In s t itut e, 14. Consideration of the Health Xhysics and 3k ology Program in relation Further discussion of post-high school fellowships. t o Revised Uperations at Oak Ridge.