9 September 1954

Dr. Heinrich Heesch

Wilhelmplatz 4

Kiel, Germany

Dear Heinrich:

Your letter arrived in Pasadena just after I had left on an eastern trip, and since returning I have put off answering it, because I got very busy with the revision of a book.

I am glad to have the information that you give me about the four-color problem. I agree with Professor Peschl that you should prepare your present results for publication.

Have you decided on a place for publication? You might want to get in touch with Professor Phillip Franklin, in the Department of Mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. To reach him all that you need to do is to address the letter to M.I.T., Cambridge 39, Massachusetts. You mention in your letter that he worked with Birkhoff on the four-color problem long ago, and I suppose that he is still interested in it. He is the editor of a mathematics journal.

I think that it would be well worth while for you to publish also the classification that you have made of all maps in such a way that the four-color problem could be solved by a finite process. I think that you should try to carry out this process, but also it is worth while to see whether some of it might be done with electronic calculating machines, or at any rate whether the electronic calculating machines could be used to check the calculation.

In addition to revising my book, the textbook in general chemistry, I am working on the problem of the structure of collagen, which is a protein present in tendons, bones, and skin. This problem is a very difficult one, but I think that I have found a satisfactory structure now.

Cordially yours,

Linus Pauling:W

California Institute of Technology Inter-Office Memo

To L. Pauling From A.C. Allison, M. Murayama, J. Vinograd Date Sept 9. 1954

Subject Summary of Investigation on the Properties of S Hb solutions carried out at the Calif. Inst. Of Technology during August 1954.

Appended are summaries of research initiated during the visit of Dr. Allison. The work deals with the phenomena which occurs when concentrated solutions of S Hb are deoxygenated.

Since no part of the work is completed as yet tentative plans have been made to continue the work along the following lines:

1. Berreman and Murayama will continue to examine by x-ray diffraction methods the sickling of RBC, the formation of gels in deoxygenated S Hb, and possibility of fiber formation by S Hb.

2. Dr. Allison will continue the examination of effect of temperature and hydrogen bonding agents on gelation. It is anticipated that this work will be published in a short time since it is now well advanced.

3. Demonstration of the applicability of the phase rule to the system during gel formation will be carried out at C.I.T.