William B. Castle, M. D.
Boston City Hospital
Boston 18, Massachusetts
Director, Thorndike Memorial Laboratory and
Second and Fourth Medical Services
Professor of Medicine, Harvard University
September 28, 1955
Dr. Linus Pauling
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
Dear Linus:
Never has a chance remark of mine turned out so well as my mention to you some years ago during our railroad journey from
Denver to Chicago of the phenomenon of birefringence when sickle cells are deoxygenated that had been observed by Sherman.
I mention it now only because I have more than once heard of your generosity and circumspection in referring to this conversation
when you gave spoken on the subject of your magnificent work and that of your associates in sickle cell disease. The latest
evidence of such kindness has just come to my attention in the opening sentence of Dr. Itano's excellent Minot lecture. That
I have not written to express my admiration of your work and to thank you for your repeated reference to my small part in
suggesting it, has been due only to the expectation that I should shortly be able to thank you in person. Dr. Itano's words
do, however, cause me to feel that a word of thanks is long overdue.
Because of your obvious interest in the antecedent history of "molecular disease", I am enclosing a copy of a rough draft
of an introduction that I recently wrote for consideration by my associate, Dr. John Harris, for the opening words of a paper
that we are hoping shortly to produce on the pathologic physiology of sickle cell disease and its congeners. I am sure you
will be as fascinated as I to read the pioneer observations of Hahn and Gillepsie. These paragraphs of mine also mention some
other less relevant items, some of which you might possibly have missed because they are in clinical journals or otherwise
somewhat veiled from scientific scrutiny.
I gather that we shall shortly both attend the meeting of the scientific advisors of the Massachusetts General Hospital (December
17th) and am looking forward to seeing you then.
With kindest regards.
Sincerely yours,
William B. Castle, M. D.
WBC:aer
C.C.: Dr. Harvey A. Itano
