1 August 1978
Professor C. Lockard Conley
Hematology Division
Department of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
601 N. Broadway
Baltimore, Maryland 21205
Dear Professor Conley:
In answer to your letter of 25 Jul 1978, about hemoglobin, let me say first that my interest in hemoglobin was not
specifically directed by someone at the Rockefeller Institute.
I enclose a list of my papers from 1922 to 1967, About 25 papers on hemoglobin are listed there. I also enclose a
recent paper by me on hemoglobin.
I had been working on various problems of the structure of molecules and crystals for about a decade when, about
1934, I began to wonder about the sigmoid oxygen equilibrium curve of hemoglobin. My first paper on hemoglobin was a discussion
of this curve and nature of the heme-heme interactions in the hemoglobin molecule. My first paper on hemoglobin was a discussion
of this curve and the nature of the heme-heme interactions in the hemoglobin molecule. While thinking about this problem I
realized that information about the nature of the bonds between oxygen and hemoglobin could be obtained measuring the magnetic
properties of hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin. Charles Coryell, who had just received his Ph.D. degree, became my assistant at
that time. We discovered the striking difference magnetic properties of hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin, and were able to draw
significant conclusions about the nature of the bonds and the structure of the hemoglobin molecule in the neighborhood of
the iron atoms from these observations. During the next few years we and others in our laboratory made many measurement of
the magnetic properties of hemoglobin and related compounds. We were able to determine equilibrium constants and rates of
reactions by using this technique.
I lectured on this subject in the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Karl Landsteiner showed much interest
in my lecture, and later he asked me many questions about my interpretation of observations made by him and others in the
field of immunochemistry. I then wrote my 1940 paper on the structure of antibodies and nature of serological reactions, and
began an extensive series of experimental studies in immunochemistry, my principal collaborators being Dan H. Campbell, whom
I brought to Pasadena from Chicago, and David Pressman.
In 1945 I was serving on a committee on medical research in the United States. At a dinner in New York, we discussed
various matters, and William B. Castle mentioned some work that he was doing on sickle-cell anemia. I immediately pointed
out that some observations made on patients with sickle-cell anemia or on blood from these patients could be accounted for
if the assumption were made that the patients were manufacturing an abnormal hemoglobin, with molecules containing two mutually
complementary groups, permitting them to aggregate into long helical rods and ultimately to form a long crystal, which would
twist the red cell out of shape. Attachment of oxygen or carbon monoxide to the hemoglobin would prevent the molecules from
achieving the close proximity that would result in this aggregation, and hence would stop the sickling. I asked Castle if
he knew of anyone's having suggested this idea, and when he gave me a negative reply I said that I though that I would work
on the problem. A few months later Ed Doisy wrote to me about a student he had had, who was interning in Detroit and had a
postdoctoral fellowship to permit him to work for a Ph.D. in chemistry. He suggested that he come to Pasadena to come to work
with me, which he did. This man was Harvey Itano. I wrote to him in Detroit, after it had been decided that he would come
to Pasadena, suggesting that he work on the problem of the nature of the hemoglobin in patients with sickle-cell anemia. This
effort in course of time led to the publication of our paper "Sickle-Cell Anemia, A Molecular Disease," and to the discovery
of several other hemoglobins in our laboratory, hemoglobins in our laboratory, hemoglobins C,D, and E.
In related work in our laboratory we were able to show that the human hemoglobin molecule contains polypeptide chains
of two types, which we called the A chain and the B chain. These designations were later changed to alpha chain and beta chain.
So far as I am aware, my idea in 1945 that human hemoglobinopathies exist was the first time that this idea had been
expressed. Our 1949 paper was the first paper showing that there is in fact a human hemoglobinopathy, and it was followed
by work leading to a great development of this field. My earlier work on leading to a great development of this field. My
earlier work on a magnetic properties ofhemoglobin was responsible in large part for development of the now-accepted ideas
about the binding of oxygen and carbon monoxide.
In your letter you ask if I would be willing to write a brief account of my work on hemoglobin. the sketch in the
above paragraphs is too superficial to be of value. If you could tell me how much of my work you would like to have summarized
and how long the summary should be, I would be willing to write it.
Sincerely,
LP:dm
