August 11, 1954 - Linus Pauling Day-by-Day

AHP writes cheque to: Elizabeth Gillette amount $10.00 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #2]

AHP writes cheque to: Peggy Holland amount $10.00 [Filed under LP Biographical: Box #4.022, Folder #2]

Letter from Dexter M. Keezer to LP RE: Requesting data about the increased cost of chemistry research and preparation in order to establish means of financial supplementation to the universities by business corporations [LP's reply August 24, 1954] [Filed under McGraw-Hill and Co., 1954, Box #253.6]

Letter from LP to Harold W. Dodds, President, Princeton University, RE: Thanks him and the Faculty Committee on Public Lectures for inviting him to deliver the Louis Vanuxem Lectures. Suggests dates and subjects of his lectures. [Letter from Dodds to LP July 19, 1954] [Filed under LP Speeches: 1954s.19]

Letter from LP to Wilbur George RE: Response to drawings of atomic models George sent. LP does not believe that they have any connection to molecular structures they have determined. [George's letter August 7, 1954] [Filed under G Correspondence 1954, Box #140.18]

Letter from LP to the editors of Nature. [Nature's letter August 4, 1954; Nature's reply August 17, 1954] [Filed under N: Correspondence 1954, Box #287.21]

11 August 1954

The Editors
NATURE
MacMillen and Co., Ltd.

St. Martin's Street

London, W. C. 2., England

Gentlemen:

I return herewith the Letter on the Crystal Structure of Parabanic Acid, and the letter to you by E. H. Medlin.

Neither Dr. Davies nor Dr. Blum, whom you mention in your letter to me, is in Pasadena at the present. Dr. Davies has just left for England. After about a month he will be at the following address:

Dr. David R. Davies, c/o Research Department, Albright and Wilson, Ltd., Oldbury, Birmingham, England.

Dr. Blum is in the eastern United States. His address is the following:

Dr. J. J. Blum, Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda 14, Maryland, U. S. A.

It is my opinion that the Letter submitted by Mr. Medlin should not be published in Nature, for the following reasons.

The Letter deals with two subjects, the structure of parabanic acid, and the results of some investigations on an unidentified compound. The results reported on parabanic acid are not significantly different from those described in the Letter by Drs. Davies and Blum, which was published in Nature. In fact, Davies and Blum communicated the dimensions of the molecule of parabanic acid, and apparently Medlin has not carried his structure determination far enough to communicate these quantities. In any case, the fact that Medlin has obtained some results that are essentially the same as those of Davies and Blum in his investigation of parabanic acid is not justification for the publication of a Letter in Nature, although he might well submit a note on this point to a specialized journal, such as Acta Crystallographica.

[page 2]

The other subject mentioned in the Letter submitted by Medlin is the discussion of some results obtained on an unidentified compound. It is my opinion that these results should not be published. Presumably the investigator could by studying the chemical properties of the compound, identify the compound. Only after he has done this, would publication of his material on the compound be justified.

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling

LP:mf

Enc.

Letter from Merritt A. Williamson, Burroughs Corporation to LP RE: Invites LP to their new Research Center in Paoli and sends his regards to Dr. George Hall and Dr. Badger at Caltech [LP's reply September 1, 1954] [Filed under W: Correspondence 1954, Box #444.2]

Letter from Paul Zamecnik to LP RE: Thanks LP for serving on the Massachusetts General Hospital Scientific Advisory Committee and asks if Harvey Itano might be interested in a position at the Hospital. [LP's reply August 24, 1954] [Filed under Z: Individual Correspondence, Box #464.3]

Memorandum from Mary to LP RE: Discusses his travel arrangements. [Filed under LP Speeches: 1954s.14]

Note from Beth Helfman to LP RE: Enclosed is Russian periodical she discussed with LP during a phone call. [Filed under H Correspondence 1954, Box #166.5]

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