February 3, 1969

Dr. Thomas L. Perry

Department of Pharmacology

Faculty of Medicine

University of British Columbia

Vancouver 8, Canada

Dear Tom:

Thanks very much for your letter.

I was pretty skeptical about Hoffer's mauve spot, and I asked you about it on the off chance that you had a different opinion.

I have looked over my paper in the effort to discover what gave you the idea that I thought that there was a single cause of schizophrenia. In your letter you have said that you think it is likely that schizophrenia is a group of diseases, anywhere from several to a score or more, with most, if not all having a genetically determined biochemical basis. These are all statements made in my paper. I think that the novelty in my paper is the suggestion that some of the genetic determinants involve vitamins, and that there is a reasonable method of handling some of these defects.

Also, on looking over the paper I have not been able to see in what way it constitutes an over-simplification. I tried to present my arguments in a clear way, and at the same time to be pretty rigorous.

I am pleased to learn that you are still plugging away at Huntington's chorea.

Your letter suggests that you can help me, in my effort to collect information about orthomolecular psychiatry. I have reprints of a couple of apparently good tests of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide (not carried out by Hoffer or Osmond). You mention that you have read papers describing experiments on chronic or acute schizophrenia with massive doses of nicotinamide (or of diphospho-pyridine nucleotide, conducted with attention to double-blind experimental design, and showing only the same slight degree of improvement as in schizophrenics given a placebo. I would be glad to have references to these papers.

I am, in fact, not interested in diphosphopyridine nucleotide. Your sentence begins with reference to nicotinamide, and then nicotinamide is left out in the second part of this sentence.

Please let me know about published papers of this sort on nicotinic acid or nicotinamide.

In papers in this field the investigators in general seem to expect that the substance being tried should cure all schizophrenics. They have not been looking for the possibility that some schizophrenics (with one type of the disease) would be benefitted by megavitamin therapy, with others not being benefitted. We have been trying to develop tests that would indicate to the psychiatrist what sort of therapy is needed by the patient. I must say that we are finding it a hard job.

I shall be pleased to check up on the references that you send to me.

Cordially,

Linus

LP:jj

February 10, 1969

Dr. J. A. Fraser-Roberts

Pediatric Research Unit

Guys Hospital Medical School London,

Dr. J. A. Fraser-Roberts

Pediatric Research Unit

Guys Hospital Medical School

London, England

Dear Dr. Fraser-Roberts:

I have read with interest your Woodhull Lecture, in the Proceedings of the Royal Institution.

I am writing to mention a point presented in the next to the last paragraph of your lecture, which seems to me to be misleading.

I am sure that my statements do not disagree with your own views, but I think that the matter has not been made clear in your lecture.

You mention that the chance that any random pregnancy will end with some severe malformation or other or that some serious error of development will manifest itself in early life is of the order of one in thirty or so.

This statement means that the normal chance of a defective child is 3.33 percent, approximately. You mention also that spina bifida has frequencies varying from one in 250 to one in 500. I might take the normal chance of having spina bifida as one in 375, which is 0.27 present. The normal chance of defects other than spina bifida is then 3.06 percent.

The chance of having spina bifida in a second child, after one has been born with spina bifida, is given as about one in 25, which is 4 percent. Accordingly the chance of some defect in this family is, for each succeeding child, 7.06 percent, which is one in 14.

Earlier in your lecture you say that a risk of recurrence of worse than one in 10 is a bad risk and of not more than one in 20 or 25 is a good risk. I tend to feel that this increase from 3.33 percent to 7.06 percent (both figures approximate, of course) is great enough to justify recommending against the decision to have more children.

My point is that we have to put up with the normal chance of about 3 percent; perhaps we should not accept an added 3 or 4 percent.

Sincerely,

Linus Pauling

LP:jj

11th February, 1969

Dear Mamma,

Thank you for all your letters, I am sorry that I have not written. For some reason things seem to have been very hectic. I am still alive and more or less well. I have not yet come down with the flu though I expect to and rather hope to any time now.

Miss Joan Chapman has hunted all over town for the parts for your MG and the only part that BMC, the manufacturers of the motor car, are able to supply is the Lucas hooter button and headlight dimming switch. We are sending this under separate cover to you. They say that all the external parts of the car have not been available for many years. Linus says, however, that Moss Motors in Goleta, California, can supply all these parts for a TC, but I would guess that the TC is more popular than the TD and expect that the parts are made in the United States. Linus and I suggest that you contact them. He also mentions J. C. Whitney, who are a big mail order firm, and you have their catalogue as I remember. He thinks these external parts may be available from them. I am sorry I cannot do any better, I shall try to find you a clamp-on mirror which would not be an MG accessory but just a standard motor car accessory. Since the modern motor cars don't have the same sort of windscreen I think it unlikely I shall be able to find one, but I shall keep my eyes open.

I have moved from Neverne Square and now live at

Flat 11

1 Hornton Street

London W.8.:

WEStern 3079

The flat is bigger and much more pleasant. Whereas in the old flat I only lived in one room doing everything there, eating, sleeping, working, in the new flat I can work in the living room which is about 60% space for working and 40% for living room, and have a pleasant bedroom with two windows facing west over Kensington, and a small room suitable for the children. There is also a little kitchen and a bathroom. There is not central heating but constant hot water. I will have to do something about providing some heat.

It has been very cold and stormy here the last few days, with a tremendous snow storm two nights ago. I took Sarah sledding today in Holland Park, Thomas did not go because he has had the flu for the last fortnight. He is much better and expects to go to school this week, but felt he did not want to go out into the cold this afternoon. I must say that I enjoyed very much being with you this last summer. I enjoyed very much talking to you and felt for the first time in my life that I could do so and understand in a sensible manner. I look forward to doing so again.

With much love,

Peter

Thank you for the money. My van was stolen, which I do not miss, but the Nev Square flat was robbed and a lot of things I am rather fond of were taken. XXXOOO much love, Peter

February 17, 1969

Editor, Merck, Sharpe and Dohtne

Research Laboratories

West Point, Penna. 19486

Dear Dr. Lyght:

During recent years I have had occasion to read the Merck Manual, 11th Edition, and I have made note of some points that may be worth mentioning to you.

I shall write now only about the section Special Baths, beginning on page 1690.

Item 6 is on Sulfur Baths, which are said to have a mild fungistatic and keroatolytic effect.

From the description it is clear that a sulfur bath contains the sulfide ion or hydrosulfide sion. One way of making a sulfur bath is said to be to add five or ten teaspoons of zinc sulfate to a tub two thirds filled with water.

This statement is, of course, not true. A solution of zinc sulfate does not contain any sulfide ion or hydrosulfide ion, and it would not undergo any reaction to produce these ions. This solution is, moreover, not fungistatic and keroatolytic; it is, instead, astringent. The other solutions mentioned, of sodium sulfide and calcium sulfide, are alkaline; a solution of zinc sulfate is acidic.

There is no compound of zinc that can give a sulfur bath. Zinc sulfide is insoluble, and any solution of zinc and sulfide would react to produce this insoluble sulfide.

I judge that reference to zinc sulfate in this section was made by error. Perhaps you intended to describe an astringent bath—an acidic bath made by adding sine sulfate to water.

I note also that the name Sulfurated Lime Solution is used for calcium sulfide solution. The Merck Index, 7th edition, page 198, mentions that calcium sulfide is erroneously called "Sulfurated Lime". Probably the correct name should be given in the Merck Manual.

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling

LP:jj