William B. Castle, M. D.
Boston City Hospital
Boston 18, Massachusetts
Director, Thorndike Memorial Laboratory and
Second and Fourth Medical Services
Professor of Medicine, Harvard University
September 28, 1955
Dr. Linus Pauling
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Dear Linus:
Never has a chance remark of mine turned out so well as my mention to you some years
ago during our railroad journey from Denver to Chicago of the phenomenon of birefringence
when sickle cells are deoxygenated that had been observed by Sherman. I mention it
now only because I have more than once heard of your generosity and circumspection
in referring to this conversation when you gave spoken on the subject of your magnificent
work and that of your associates in sickle cell disease. The latest evidence of such
kindness has just come to my attention in the opening sentence of Dr. Itano's excellent
Minot lecture. That I have not written to express my admiration of your work and to
thank you for your repeated reference to my small part in suggesting it, has been
due only to the expectation that I should shortly be able to thank you in person.
Dr. Itano's words do, however, cause me to feel that a word of thanks is long overdue.
Because of your obvious interest in the antecedent history of "molecular disease",
I am enclosing a copy of a rough draft of an introduction that I recently wrote for
consideration by my associate, Dr. John Harris, for the opening words of a paper that
we are hoping shortly to produce on the pathologic physiology of sickle cell disease
and its congeners. I am sure you will be as fascinated as I to read the pioneer observations
of Hahn and Gillepsie. These paragraphs of mine also mention some other less relevant
items, some of which you might possibly have missed because they are in clinical journals
or otherwise somewhat veiled from scientific scrutiny.
I gather that we shall shortly both attend the meeting of the scientific advisors
of the Massachusetts General Hospital (December 17th) and am looking forward to seeing
you then.
With kindest regards.
Sincerely yours,
William B. Castle, M. D.
WBC:aer
C.C.: Dr. Harvey A. Itano
