Letter from Linus Pauling to Herman Schwan. December 6, 1960. Page 1  Larger Images / More Information. 1 p.  View Transcript

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Activity Listings

• Letter from C. David Gutsche to LP RE: Encloses a copy of his letter to the Internal Security Subcommittee. Informs that his lecture on electron-deficient molecules was very stimulating. [Letter from LP to Gutsche December 14, 1960] [Letter from Gutsche to International Security Subcommittee July 16, 1960] [Filed under LP Biographical: (Correspondence re: Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, 1960), Box #2.019, Folder #19.1]
• Letter from Charles D. Coryell, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to LP and AHP. RE: Regrets that he was not able to see them while he was in Pasadena. Informs them of his latest work. Encloses a carbon copy of his resignation from the American Chemical Society. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Coryell, Charles D.) #68.2]
• Letter from Edward C. Kendall, Princeton University, to LP. RE: Informs him that Nobel Prize winners have been invited to attend a dinner on December 15th. Cannot be with him on the occasion.  [Filed under LP Correspondence:(Kendall, Edward C, 1960) #197.14]
• Letter from Helen Perkins, American Friends Service Committee to LP and AHP RE: Informs them that Margaret Joyce of Pasadena has made a gift to the Service Committee in appreciation for their friendship and their stand in field of civil rights and civil liberties. [Filed under AHP: AHP: Organizational Correspondence: Box #1.008, Folder #8.1]     
• Letter from Joan R. Harris, Secretary to LP, to Roland D. Pinkham. RE: Returns $3 which was enclosed in a letter for LP.  [Filed under LP Speeches: (Speeches by LP, 1960) Folder # 1960s3 Box #1960s3.11]
• Letter from John Raeburn Green to Fred Okrand RE: Thanks him for the letter regarding the defamation suit. [Letter from Okrand to Green December 5, 1960] [Filed under LP Biographical: Pauling v. Globe-Democrat Publishing Company, 1960-1967: Box #3.003, Folder #3.1]
• Letter from LP to Guenter Schmarz, Florida State University. RE: Informs him that he should not send a report to him on the X-ray thesis. [Letter from Schmarz December 2, 1960] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (S: Correspondence, 1960) #381.1]
• Letter from LP to Herman Schwan, University of Pennsylvania. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (S: Correspondence, 1960) #381.1]

  6 December 1960

  Dr. Herman Schwan

  Electro Medical Laboratory

  University of Pennsylvania

  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  Dear Dr. Schwan:

  I have developed a molecular theory of general anesthesia, and I am now interested in carrying out some experimental work to check up on it, I think that a paper about this theory will be published in a few months, although I have not yet finished writing it.

  One of the predictions that I make on the basis of the theory is that the electric permittivity of brain tissue should be changed in a significant way by an anesthetic agent, and I have in mind the possibility of checking up on this prediction. The prediction is that the dispersion of permittivity in the wave length region between perhaps one centimeter and long radio waves should change when the brain is anesthetized. I am not yet able to say how great the change should be, although I can predict the direction of the change and the shift of the dispersion frequency for one term in the expression representing the permittivity. Perhaps in a few months, on the basis of experiments on another property of brain tissue, I can make a quantitative prediction.

  I do not know much about the measurement of dielectric properties of substances, and I am writing to you for advice. Dr. S. D. Larks of the University of California at Los Angeles has suggested that I appeal to you.

  Perhaps you have some papers that cover this subject in a way helpful to me, and could send me reprints of them. If you have reprints available, I shall be grateful to you for sending them to me.

  Do you think that it would be possible to implant a condenser in the brain of a dog or other experimental animal and measure the dispersion of dielectric constant while the animal is unanesthetized and while he is anesthetized? I may say that it is likely that the changes that I am looking for are of the order of one percent.

  I am not in a position to begin experimental work in this field at the present time, but might be able to do so in the fall of 1961. It occurs to me that there is the possibility that a young scientist trained with you would be interested in carrying on this work, and that I might be able to arrange for his appointment as a Research Fellow at that time. I hope that you will keep this possibility in mind.

  Sincerely yours,

  Linus Pauling: lh

• Letter from LP to Irving Kupcinet, Chicago Sun-Times, RE: Asks if he is expecting him on his program Saturday night. [Filed under LP Biographical: Linus Pauling's Daily Calender of Events, 1946,1958-1966,1968-1970, 1973-1979: Box #5.012, Folder #12.2]
• Letter from Lina Weinbaum, to LP. RE: Has received a letter from the Ministry of Education in the USSR. Asks him to recommend her to the Interuniversity Committee in USA. Would like to work at the Moscow University. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Litinskaya, (Weinbaum), Lina, 1960) #433.13]
• Letter from Renate Wilson, to LP. RE: Points out how many young people attended LP's address. [Letter from LP January 4, 1961] [Filed under LP Speeches: (Speeches by LP, 1960) Folder # 1960s3 Box #1960s3.13]
• Letter from Semyon K. Tsarapkin, to LP. RE: Informs him that there is a complete lack of progress in the negotiations of a bomb-test halt. [Letter from LP November 22, 1960] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Tsarapkin, Semyon K.) #408.8]
• Letter from W. Albert Noyes, Journal of Physical Chemistry, to LP. RE: Asks for comments on a manuscript. [Letter from LP December 13, 1960] [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Noyes, W. A. Jr.) #279.5]
• Letter from W. F. Libby, University of California, to LP. RE: Thanks him for his congratulatory note. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Libby, W.F.) # 217.2]
• Letter from William W. Stanhope, to LP. RE: Asks for more information on proteins. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (S: Correspondence, 1960) #381.1]
• Memo from LP to Syd Cassyd. RE: Thinks that a popular article in the Saturday Evening Post would find wide popular appeal. Asks if he could start the column idea they discussed yesterday. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Cassyd, Syd) #57.15]
• Memorandum from LP to Professor Swift. RE: Recommends the reappointment of Dr. Kenneth Shaw. [Filed under LP Correspondence: (Shaw, Kenneth) #363.1]
• Memorandum from Syd Cassyd to LP RE: "If he refers to the series you made for the Science Foundation, it would be interesting to see if he would pay $25.00 each on a rental basis. I will contact them, if you wish." Handwritten note: "-sent note with this price." [Filed under LP Science: (National Science Foundation: Grants, Exhibits, 1954-1964), Box #14.030, Folder #30.5]
• Memorandum from Syd Cassyd to LP RE: Informs LP that he phoned John Sutherland Productions to find more information about the films and spoke with a Miss Machaud who believes that Caltech had received a set of the films, even though LP did not personally ever receive the films.  The company will sent Mr. Paul a film as well. Asks LP if he wants him to answer the letter and suggests that if LP does he should refer to the fact that they might make other films over the Spring in order to get some form of sponsorship. Many handwritten notes including "Syd-Please answer" by LP. [Filed under LP Science: (National Science Foundation: Grants, Exhibits, 1954-1964), Box #14.030, Folder #30.6]
• Newspaper Clipping: "Peace Crusader 'Realistic Pacifist', Won't Back War", Publication Unknown, December 6, 1960. [Filed under LP Biographical: (LP Scrapbooks, 1956-1960), Box #6.007, Folder #7.800]
• Note from Mrs. Gussie Sitkin, Women for Legislative Action to AHP RE: Thanks AHP for her talk at the Membership Luncheon on November 12th. [Filed under AHP: AHP: Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 1959-1960: Box #4.001, Folder #1.1]