May 15, 1961 - Linus Pauling Day-by-Day

Letter from A.F. Culverwell to LP, RE: Culverwell asks that LP send a copy of the petition to Nancy Marshall so that she may circulate it for signatures. [Filed under LP Peace: (Correspondence re: circulation and signing of An Appeal to Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, April-December, 1961), Box #5.013, Folder #13.1]

Letter from Charlotte Pomerantz to LP, RE: Pomerantz is sending LP a copy of the appeal with the signatures that he has collected. [Filed under LP Peace: (Correspondence re: circulation and signing of An Appeal to Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, April-December, 1961), Box #5.013, Folder #13.1]

Letter from Clyde Miller to LP, RE: Miller thinks that the petition is a worthy cause that has already stirred up questions in peoples’ minds. [Filed under LP Peace: (Correspondence re: circulation and signing of An Appeal to Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, April-December, 1961), Box #5.013, Folder #13.1]

Letter from Graham DuShane, Science, to LP. RE: Returns the manuscript of his article on general anesthesia so that LP can check the suggestions and queries before the type is set. Explains some specific problems they ran into. [Filed under LP Correspondence (S: Individual Correspondence): Box #374 Folder #374.6]

Letter from Joan R. Harris, Secretary to LP, to Professor Ernest Dzendolet, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, RE: As soon as reprints arrive, one will be sent to Dr. Dzendolet. [Letter from Dr. Dzendolet to LP, May 9, 1961] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (D: Correspondence, 1960-1966), #99.2]

Letter from LP to A. Topchiev, RE: LP thanks Topchiev for his advice regarding which laboratories to visit and which scientists to speak with, but regrets to inform him that, due to the weight of work and interference of different sorts, he must abandon his plans to visit the USSR during August, 1961, and cannot participate in the International Congress of Biochemistry. LP's colleague in the research of the chemical basis of mental disease, Dr. Kenneth N.F. Shaw, will, however, participate in the conference, and LP hopes that Shaw will be able to visit the Psychiatric institutes suggested by Topchiev. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (T: Individual Correspondence. (Topchiev-Tyler)), #408.1]

Letter from LP to Dr. Henry Klostergaard, Chairman, Division of Science and Mathematics, San Fernando Valley State College, RE: LP gives his recommendation of Dr. Girair Nazarian. [Letter from Klostergaard to LP, April 21, 1961] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (N: Correspondence, 1957-1964), #288.5]

Letter from LP to Edmund Berkeley, RE: LP is happy to be a sponsor of the Boston Committee for Disarmament and Peace. [Berkeley’s letter April 17, 1961] [Filed under LP Peace: (Assorted Peace Groups, Am-Co), Box #4.010, Folder #10.4]

Letter from LP to Irving Michelson RE: LP doe not have any comments for the draft Michelson sent other than that LP is generally pleased with the draft. [Letter from Michelson to LP May 9, 1961] [Filed under LP Peace: Materials re: Strontium-90, 1961-1963: Box #7.014, Folder #14.8]

Letter from LP to Louise Andrews, RE: LP and AHP are agreeable to the idea of speaking in Chicago March 18th though 20th. LP and AHP have just returned from the Oslo Conference and LP is enclosing a copy of the statement that was prepared by the participants. [Filed under LP Peace: (Assorted Peace Groups, Am), Box #4.009, Folder #9.4]

Letter from LP to Peter Pauling RE: LP suggests that the attached paper be published and asks Peter’s opinion about it. [Typescript: “The Sulvanite Puzzle Resolved” 1961] [Filed under LP Manuscripts of Articles: (Manuscripts and Typescripts of Articles by LP, 1965), Box #1965a, Folder #1965a.8]

Letter from LP to Professor Eugene H. McLaren, Chemistry Department, State University of New York College of Education, RE: LP wishes he could accept the invitation to the Summer Institute, but his schedule is already too heavy. [Letter from Harris to McLaren, May 8, 1961] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (N: Correspondence, 1957-1964), #288.5]

Letter from LP to Ralph L. Amey, Department of Chemistry, Metcalf Research Laboratory, Brown University, RE: States that LP’s son Peter has all the information on liquid water, which they have not published, and LP can therefore not send any to Mr. Amey at this time. [Note from Ralph L. Amey to LP, May 2, 1961] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (A: Correspondence, 1958-1961), #13.4]

Letter from LP to Walker Downs, President, The Bonita Boosters Club, RE: LP is pleased to hear of the program of appreciation for Ellsworth M. Green, on the occasion of his retirement from teaching after more than 30 years. He regrets that his schedule will not allow him to be there. Handwritten at the bottom: “short biography of LP”. [Letter from Mr. Downs to LP, undated] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (G: Correspondence, 1957-1961), #141.5]

Letter from LP to William Carr, RE: LP thanks Carr for writing to him about the difficulties that LP was having with the Internal Security Subcommittee of the Senate. LP believes that he has an obligation to keep fighting for civil rights and preventing the infringement or limitation of these civil rights. Under separate cover LP is sending Carr some materials on this matter. [Filed under LP Peace: (Oslo Conference Against the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, May 2-7, 1961), Box #2.001, Folder #1.4]

Letter from Leo Pach to LP, RE: Pach thanks LP for his efforts for peace. Pach is sending in a petition and requests three more copies. [Filed under LP Peace: (Correspondence re: circulation and signing of An Appeal to Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, April-December, 1961), Box #5.013, Folder #13.1]

Letter from Mildred Ziegler to LP, RE: Ziegler requests two more copies of the appeal. [Filed under LP Peace: (Correspondence re: circulation and signing of An Appeal to Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, April-December 1961), Box #5.013, Folder #13.1]

Letter from P.P. Ewald to LP RE: Asks LP to fill out a questionnaire in addition to his personal reminiscence for the 50 year Commemoration of Crystallography. [Filed under LP Manuscripts of Articles: (Manuscripts and Typescripts of Articles by LP, 1961), Box #1961a2, Folder 1961a2.5]

Letter from Rudolph Zaunick to LP, RE: (In German). [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Z: Correspondence, 1940-1980), #468.17]

Memorandum from LP to Drs. Shaw and Perry. [Filed under LP Science: (Othomolecular Medicine and Mental Health: Materials re: Ford Foundation grants for the study of mental disorders, 1955-1966), Box #11.089, Folder #89.14]

15 May 1961

To: Drs. Shaw and Perry

From: Linus Pauling

Subject: Catatonic schizophrenia

In Norway I met a man, Dr. Gjessing, who for a long period, with his father, who died a couple of years ago, has worked on a treatment of catatonic schizophrenia by thyroid extract.

I did not talk with him about this work, but have talked with Dr. Roberts about it. Dr. Gjessing gave a seminar at City of Hope a short while back. He told me about his visit to City of Hope, and I asked Dr. Roberts about it. The elder Dr. Gjessing was one of the leading psychiatrists in Norway.

My understanding is that catatonic schizophrenia constitutes about three percent of all cases of schizophrenia and is diagnosed on the basis of clinical symptoms, but that it is now difficult to diagnose it because schizophrenic patients in general have been medicated so much as to make a differential diagnosis difficult. Dr. Gjessing and his father discovered some time back that thyroid extract given regularly by mouth to the patients cured then. For example, their chief laboratory technician has been on this treatment for twenty years. It was decided at one time to take him off the treatment, in order to see what would happen, and within a short while he had to be hospitalized. He was brought back to normal behavior as soon as he was put on the thyroid treatment.

Dr. Gjessing is now writing a book about this matter.

I understand that there has been no biochemical abnormality discovered in the patients with catatonic schizophrenia. Possibly some chemical studies could be initiated, with the collaboration of Dr. Gjessing.

P.S. Are there deleterious effects to a thyroid therapy for people who do not show thyroid deficiency? Would it be worth while to try thyroid on schizophrenic patients other than those diagnosed as having catatonic schizophrenia?

Activity Listings