May 25, 1937

Dr. A. E. Mirsky

Hospital of the Rockefeller Institute

66th Street and York Avenue

New York, New York

Dear Alfred:

Many thanks for your letter about my new position. I do not know how it is going to work out but so far the change has not been for the worse since I have successfully avoided taking on any duties except a few of the simplest.

Our work in general is progressing at a satisfactory rate. I am sending reprints of the ferrihemoglobin work separately. Coryell is now working on denaturation and the effect of urea and alcohol and similar agents. He finds that concentrated urea in the middle pH range does not denature ferrihemoglobin although it causes a small change in the moment of both the ion and the hydroxide. Stitt has been looking for new compounds. He has evidence for a ferrohemoglobin cyanide and ferrihemoglobin formate as well as some others. He has been given a National Research Fellowship for next year and will leave for Harvard to work with Wilson in August. Coryell will stay here.

Astbury is here on a short visit. He gave a very interesting account of his work in a seminar talk yesterday, and showed some fine photographs of proteins. His ideas regarding muscle contraction, though rather vague, seem to be well founded on experiment.

How is your work progressing? Have you succeeded in building up a staff as you had planned?

What is your opinion of Niemann, who has been given an appointment here as Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry?

With best regards to Reba and the children as well as to you,

I am

Yours,

Linus Pauling

LP:mrl