January 3, 1968

Mr. James Shutt

Box B-270S6

Florence, Arizona 8S232

Dear Mr. Shutt:

Here are the answers to the questions in your letter of 4 December.

1. Glass, in its final form, is called a supercooled liquid. After long periods of time, crystals may form in a glass, even at room temperature. Ordinary glass is not a crystalline substance.

2. Glass is a liquid during its molding or blowing process. As a supercooled liquid its viscosity is extremely high. As the temperature is increased, the viscosity becomes less, and at temperatures far above the softening point glass becomes a rather mobile liquid.

3. It is proper to refer to glass as a liquid at all temperatures, but below the softening point it may be called a supercooled liquid or an amorphous solid.

Sincerely yours,

Linus Pauling

LP:jj

January 8, 1968

Senator Harrison A. Williams, Jr.

Chairman, Special Committee on Aging

United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Williams:

I am pleased to learn that your Senate Special Committee on Aging is conducting a study of research needs in fields related to aging.

I give below my answers to the questions in your letter of 27 November.

1. My special area of research, which is the structure of molecules, molecular biology, and molecular medicine, is, I believe, closely related to possible underlying sources of aging. I have for many years worked on the general problem of the structure of the proteins, including collogen. I am sure that changes in protein structure are involved in the process of aging. Moreover, for a number of years I have worked in the general field of the molecular basis of disease, and during the past twelve years on the molecular basis of mental disease. In the course of this work I have developed some ideas about the optimal molecular structure of the human body, in particular about the optimal concentrations of substances normally present in the human body and requited for life. My work so far along these lines has been directed towards schizophrenia and other mental diseases, but is clearly pertinent also to senescence.

2. At the present time I do not have research facilities and financial resources to permit me to carry out very extensive studies. My appointment in the University of California, San Diego, is for the year 1967-1968, and I do not know what I shall be doing after 30 June 1968. I am interested in continuing my researches on the molecular basis of disease, presumably in southern California.

3. My former collaborator Dr. Arthur Cherkin, who is a staff member in Veterans Hospital, Sepulveda, California, is, I believe, particularly qualified to carry on research on aging. I was involved in obtaining the appointment for him in Sepulveda, when I left the California Institute of Technology, and It is my understanding that he is now carrying on research on aging, but probably with restricted support.

4. I do not believe that the present level of research support on the fundamental mechanisms of senescence is adequate. The amount of suffering caused by senescence, as Indicated, for example, by the number of hospital beds occupied by persons suffering from senescence (including hospital beds in mental institutions), is very great, and the possibilities of decreasing this suffering through research on senescence are in my opinion large enough to justify the expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars per year, in addition to the expenditures now being made. The progress in molecular biology and medicine during recent years has been tremendous. Many fundamental discoveries have been made that suggest promising programs of developmental research. In addition, more money should be provided to support work in basic science, especially in the fields of molecular structure and molecular biology, because there Is an excellent chance that additional very important discoveries can be made.

5. I have not been In the University of California, San Diego, long enough to be able to make a significant statement about your question of the potential role of training and research centers on aging in this Institution.

6. I have many ideas about research on the biological bases of the problem of aging. I have discussed some of them with Dr. Joe Meyer, when he was Chief of Research in Basic Sciences, Veterans Administration. I cannot present an adequate discussion of these ideas in this letter, because it would then be too long.

Sincerely,

Linus Pauling

LP:jj

Bernd Matthias File

Date: January 16, 1968

Subject: Ferroelectric Substances

I talked today with Bernd Matthias about my memorandum of 2 January to him.

He said that he had investigated HCrC₂, hydrogen chromium (III) dioxide, and had found it not to be ferroelectric. I told him that neutron diffraction work by Walter Hamilton and Jim Ibers has shown that in the deuterium compound the hydrogen bonds are nearly or completely symmetrical, very short, about 2.49 Å , I think, but that in the hydrogen compound the bonds are unsymmetrical I said that his negative result might be the result of electrostatic repulsion of the protons. He and I developed the idea that a solid solution of the deuterium compound and the hydrogen compound might show ferroelectricity. He suggested the fifty: fifty compound, and I suggested the one third/two thirds compound as the more likely to be ferroelectric, on the basis of the idea that you can get a regular structure more easily in a triangular plane network with the latter ratio than with the former. I think that with the one: two ratio the deuterium atoms would move to one side, and the hydrogen atoms to the opposite side of the basal plane, giving a net moment.

He asked if I would be willing for the Bell Lab people to make some of the hydrogen hexacyanide compounds that I had mentioned in my note, and I gave my permission.

I pointed out that not only hexacyano cobaltic acid, but also salts of ferro-cyanic acid in which one of the four hydrogen atoms is replaced by a univalent cation and certain other compounds that might be predicted to be ferroelectric. He mentioned that these compounds that I had suggested for investigation in my 2 January letter represent a completely new class of substances, or would represent a new class of ferroelectric substances if they are found to be ferroelectric.

Linus Pauling

January 19, 1968

Dr. Edward Rubenstein

Chief of Medicine

San Mateo General Hospital

San Mateo, California

Dear Dr. Rubenstein:

I am writing to make a report to you about the matter of stimulation of production of hemoglobin F by the use of placental material.

My associate Dr. Emile Zuckerkandl in Montpellier has written me that the first steps for an attack on this problem have been taken. I am hoping that on the first of March of the year one of his coworkers will come to La Jolla, and that I shall be able to talk with him about continuing the work.

I shall let you know when there is something definite to report.

Sincerely,

Linus Pauling

LP:jj

cc: Dr. Zuckerkandl

8454 El Paseo Grande

La Jolla

22 Jan 1968

Dear Peter,

I hope you are all settled again and that everything is going well with you.

I enclose a check for $400. The Daddy having already given you $100 of this $500 quarterly amount.

I hear that Linda is off to Hawaii today on the 23rd. I had a good letter from Linie who didn’t mention Linda’s coming.

Our weather continues good – really magnificent sunsets.

Linda says Diane would like to stay in our house in S.B. for a few days. I don’t think you saw my M.G. and I wanted you to send or buy me some parts. It is too bad that we were all so upset when you were here. But plans seldom go as anticipated.

It was fine to see you.

Much love,

Mam

January 25, 1968

Mr. Duane Wyckoff

Administrator

Mesa Vista Hospital

7850 Vista Hill

San Diego, California

Dear Mr. Wyckoff:

I am writing a preliminary letter of inquiry to you, at the suggestion of Dr. Jonas Salk.

I am carrying on research on schizophrenia—I have been working on the molecular basis of mental disease for about fifteen years. In the course of this work my associates and I have had access to mental patients in County-University Hospital, San Diego. We have need, however, for access to patients with chronic schizophrenia, who are not available to us at County-University Hospital. I asked Dr. Salk for advice about this problem, and he recommended that I talk with you.

The work that we are doing is a study of the metabolism of vital substances, especially vitamins. Our immediate program involves only the following steps: collection of a sample of urine, administration by mouth of a dose of ascorbic acid, collection of a second sample of urine, collection of a third sample of urine. We should like to carry out this test for about one or two dozen patients who are diagnosed as having schizophrenia.

I enclose a copy of the release form that we have been using.

Later on we shall, I think, want to carry out similar studies with other vitamins, and it might be desirable to carry them out on the same patients. Also, there is the possibility that we would want to repeat the ascorbic-acid tests.

If there is the possibility that we could make arrangements to carry on work of this sort in Mesa Vista Hospital or Vista Hill Hospital, possibly in collaboration with the Vista Hill Psychiatric Foundation, I should be glad to come to see you to talk about the matter.

Sincerely,

Linus Pauling

LP:jj

26 January 1968

Dear Mamma,

Thank you for your letter and for the money. Daddy did give me $100.

I have moved into my new flat. It is unfurnished and still rather a mess. I bought a cooker and have had the gas and electricity turned on. Diana, the girl who wants to stay in your house was a great help. She helped me move and gave me a lot of furniture including a bed, and table and washing-machine and silverware and plates etc. I shall miss her.

The painting by Chase arrived with me essentially undamaged and I am very pleased to have it. Thank you for it, I bought a "construction" in stoneware by Bryan Newman just before Christmas and have it here too, I like it very much. It is things like this that I like most. I have a pot that Thomas bought and gave me in the course of a fight with Julia that I cherish. Linda gave me a pot of hers. These are the property I like most.

Crellin thought I had made a bad mistake and upset you, I hope this was not true, I certainly did not mean to upset you: I just talk what I think and am not very tactful. I apologize if I did so. I was very pleased to be with you and thank you for receiving me so nicely, I think the trip was well worthwhile and think I must return more often, I had planned to spend my time talking about me and my problems, but in fact talked with those I love most about their problems. In many ways I am quite well off, I have not yet talked with Julia but will do so soon and try to arrange to bring the children to California this summer for a month, I am sure it would be good for everyone.

I apologize for typing and for typing so badly. When I have my typewriter it is much easier for me to type.

When I got back home this evening after seeing the children the house next door was on fire and there are still fire engines outside.

I saw your good friend Jim Watson for quite a while in Cambridge while I was there, I do not think you should take it all too seriously. Just wait until you see the film.

Someone is going to give me a refrigerator that does not make ice but I think it will do. Then if I buy a tumbler dryer and a freezer I will be able to cope. The tumbler dryer is most important because it is very hard to dry clothes here. Diana gave me a twin tub washing machine and that will do. With a freezer I will not have to go shopping so often. I eat about one meal a day. I got very fat in California but am thinning out now. My clothes fit better. Do not worry; I shall not starve.

They have turned off the electricity for a while because the fire next door burned the cables. It is back on now.

It was certainly a pleasure for me to be with you and I look forward to the next visit.

Much love,

Peter

January 30, I968

Mr. Steven I. Henikoff

5463 S. Ingleside Chicago,

Illinois 60615

Dear Mr. Henikoff:

I have noticed that you have applied for admission as a graduate student, working for the Ph.D. in Chemistry, in the University of California, San Diego, and the Chairman of the Department of Chemistry has told me that you have been offered an appointment.

I have thought that you might be interested to know my feelings about this University. In particular, I may say that I think that it is a first-rate place for a man to carry on graduate work who is interested In both chemistry and biology. Three years ago one of my students in the California Institute of Technology who had interests along these lines asked me for advice. I recommended that he come to the University of California, San Diego, which he did, and he has now completed his work for the Ph.D. degree and seems to be well pleased with his decision to come here.

I think that it is especially significant that much of the research in chemistry as well as in biology is carried on in one building, the David Bonner Laboratory, so that there is close contact between chemists and biologists.

Last year I was offered appointment for one year here, and I have now been in La Jolla for several months, as Professor of Chemistry in Residence in the University of California, San Diego.

Please let me know if you have any questions that I might be able to answer.

Sincerely,

Linus Pauling

LP:jj

Cc: Dr. Zimm