ATTACHMENT 3


                                                   March 14, 1947
Mr. N. Hilberry                     Associate Laboratory Director
Dr. A.M. Brues                         Director, Biology Division

     Clinical Testing

     I have received, as a member of the Interim Medical Advisory
Committee, a letter from Stafford L. Warren who is chairman of
this committee, regarding clinical testing.  He states:

          "At present clinical testing programs have been
     authorized as part of the University of California at
     Berkeley and the University of Rochester contracts only.  In
     the interim period....it is requested that no other clinical
     testing be performed by other contractors than has been
     already authorized.

          "This memo refers only to work done under the auspices
     of, at the expense of, or with equipment furnished by an
     under the responsibility of the Atomic Energy Commission
     (and not)....by a doctor upon his own and his university's
     responsibility and at costs not reimbursable by or not
     having any connection with the Atomic Energy Commission
     work."

     I am not certain what relation this has to the use of
arsenic76, which Dr. Jacobson and Dr. Neal have been preparing
through Argonne and are using at Billings Hospital in tracer
amounts.  I have been assuming that this is part of the approved
program of this Laboratory and that the responsibility for he
patients was clearly in the hands of the University of Chicago,
which Dr. Jacobson assures me is satisfied with the program at
Billings.

     In the first place, the University of Chicago has been
engaged in work using human subjects and related to the work of
the Manhattan Project.  As reference in this regard, I can cite
report No. CH-3607, which was declassified on the last day of
1946, entitled "Distribution and Excretion of Plutonium in two
Human Subjects".  In the second place, this work is part of the
program of the Laboratory as submitted at the meeting of the
Medical Advisory Board January 24, 1947, under three of the ten
items on this program, namely, (1) Effects of Irradiation on
Structure and Functions of the Blood, (2) Response to Different
Types of Radiations of Various organs and Tissues including
Tumors, and (3) Absorption, Disposition and Elimination of
Radioactive Elements from the Body.

     The purpose of this work falls under these categories of our
program, and it seems to me fortunate that we can parallel our
animal observations in humans through the experience and clinical
contract of Dr. Jacobson.  This work will obviously give us
information bearing on the extrapolation of animal work to  the
human which is just justifiable in the case of this short-lived
isotope, which we have good reason to believe maybe of actual
value to these patients.

     I wonder if representations could not be made indicating
that this work is an important and consistent part of our program
at Argonne and also that the Argonne has included clinical
research in its program for some time past.

AMB:bm                             Austin M. Brues, M.D.

cc:  Reading File


RG 326
Box 046 [12x3/6]ANL "illegible"
File March 14, 1947