Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologist’s Odyssey Edward A. Beeman, M.D., F.A.C.P. 2005 This text was prepared for the Office of NIH History at the National Institutes of Health under Contract No. 263—MD - 010289 Beeman, Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologist’s Odyssey, 2005. 1 Table of Contents Acknowledgments 4 Introduction 11 Chapter 1: The Early Years 17 Chapter 2: Rickettsialpox 39 Chapter 3: Q Fever in Southern California 55 Chapter 4: Coxsackie Viruses—Herpangina 89 Chapter 5: Coxsackie Viruses—Epidemic Pleurodynia 119 Chapter 6: Exploring Respiratory Viruses and Adenoviruses 135 Chapter 7: The Junior Village Era 162 Chapter 8: The New Viruses 186 Chapter 9: Volunteer and Vaccine Studies 205 Chapter 10: Seventy New Viruses; Summation; Transition 235 Chapter 11: The Lieutenants 240 Chapter 12: Polyoma Virus—Explorations in Oncology 281 Chapter 13: Domestic Life; Life on the Farm 303 Chapter 14: The Tumor (T) Antigens 320 Chapter 15: Collaboration with the National Cancer Institute 340 Chapter 16: Hybrids, Helper Viruses, Adenovirus Testing, Field Studies 368 Chapter 17: The Oncogene Theory of Huebner and Todaro: Reverse Transcriptase 388 Chapter 18: Politics and Cancer 414 Beeman, Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologist’s Odyssey, 2005. 2 Chapter 19: Critics Anonymous, Contracts versus Grants, The Zinder Report 443 Chapter 20: Personnel Relationships, Additional Activities of the Viral Carcinogenesis Branch and the Virus Cancer Program 465 Chapter 21: The Oncogene Unveiled 488 Chapter 22: A Second Beginning, Illness and Decline 499 Chapter 23: Legacy 510 Chapter 24: Treading Water in the Secretarial Pool, Other Random Observations 523 Appendices: Appendix A: Curriculum Vitae 542 Appendix B: Robert J. Huebner Bibliography 547 Appendix C: List of Abbreviations 624 Appendix D: Glossary 628 Appendix E: Bibliography Related to Junior Village 664 Beeman, Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologist’s Odyssey, 2005. 3 Acknowledgments A chance introduction to Dr. Victoria A. Harden, Historian, of the National Institutes of Health, resulted in the genesis of this manuscript after a prolonged incubation period. At a meeting of the Washington Society for the History of Medicine in 1995, I heard Dr. Harden making authoritative comments about Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I introduced myself to Dr. Harden as someone who had worked in the Virus and Rickettsial Laboratory of NIH with Dr. Robert J. Huebner from 1948 to 1952. Dr. Harden, who has been trying to “build NIH history brick-by-brick” became interested immediately, indicated that she had no information about the virus laboratory at that particular time period, and would appreciate my personal memoirs for the years when I was associated with Bob Huebner. He was an NIH research icon about whose work she wanted more information. So, three years later, I submitted a short autobiographical memoir about the time that I had spent at NIH, along with several other anecdotal laboratory adventures with which I was involved. Dr. Harden seemed to be pleased with the material that I had turned in, and she asked what I was planning to do for an encore. I hedged a reply, but I began contemplating whether I could perhaps make some further contribution to documenting medical history. In 1998 when I saw Dr. Harden at another History of Medicine Society meeting, I mentioned that I might be interested in writing a biography of Huebner whose virological exploits, I had come to realize, were largely unknown or forgotten by my contemporary infectious disease colleagues. Dr. Harden Beeman, Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologist’s Odyssey, 2005. 4 encouraged me to start examining relevant sources of information and to keep her informed about what I was able to learn and document. I began my quest by meeting with Harriet Huebner, not yet a widow, and describing to her the project that I was undertaking. Harriet was extremely supportive of this endeavor. She gave me a copy of Huebner’s extensive bibliography, his curriculum vitae, and a list of his awards and honors. I also started interviewing some of Huebner’s remaining associates at the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases of NIH, and I was able to obtain the names of various colleagues who were associated with Huebner at the National Cancer Institute. During theses initial explorations, Bob Huebner passed away in late August 1998. I attended the memorial service at his farm on September 5, 1998, had an opportunity to meet other colleagues and was able to renew acquaintance with others of his family members whom I had not seen for a long time. I began to collect selected reprints of the Huebner writings through the National Library of Medicine to supplement the ones I had retained during my time at NIH. By early spring 1999 I had collected considerable source material. I happened to encounter Dr. Harden by chance in March or April 1999. When I informed her about what I had been doing, her reaction was that since I “had accomplished so much,” I “should be made official.” She arranged for me to be associated initially with the Office of NIH History through a modest contract and then later officially as a volunteer. I was then able to use the resources of the History Office to facilitate the task of research and writing. Harriet Huebner, who had been Bob’s administrative assistant and second wife, provided rich insight about his life and personality during the course of many frequent, pleasant interviews during the writing of this manuscript. At the time of his retirement, Beeman, Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologist’s Odyssey, 2005. 5 Harriet and Bob did not retain any official work-related correspondence. Harriet described details of Bob’s professional and personal life, his personal thoughts, his philosophy of scientific research, and their close collaboration at work and at home. She also provided access to other family members who acted as custodians of family history. Bob’s sister, Catherine M. Huebner of Cincinnati, Ohio, provided many details of Bob’s early life along with notes, newspaper clippings and photographs. My first information- seeking trip to the Huebner farm in Ijamsville, Maryland yielded a cornucopia of information including several large scrapbooks containing news clippings, other publicity items and a collection of testimonials written by many guests on the occasion of Bob’s retirement. The wives, Berdi and Harriet, had carefully compiled this information over many years. My hostesses on the occasion of my visit to the farm were Susie (Roberta Sue Huebner) Creamer and Ginny (Virginia Rose) Huebner. Susie provided an extensive overview of the farm, family life, and the Huebner cattle breeding enterprise. Other Huebner siblings whom I interviewed on various occasions were Betty (Elizabeth Jean Pfeiffer), Danny (Richard Daniel), and Jim (Robert James). They each provided their own perspective on a Huebner upbringing. Jim regaled me with many humorous anecdotes about his father. I was Kay (Frances Kay) Huebner’s guest at a symposium she organized on Alzheimer’s disease at the Jefferson School of Medicine (Philadelphia) in honor of her father. I had an opportunity there to meet some of Bob’s former associates at the National Cancer Institute. On that same occasion I had a wonderful encounter with Dr. Murray B. Gardner of the University of California at Davis. He was a major Huebner associate and participant in the Virus Cancer Program. He later provided extensive Beeman, Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologist’s Odyssey, 2005. 6 literature about his role in the program in California, and we had several extended pleasant telephone conversations about his interactions with Bob. Current and former members of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, NIAID, helped fill the information gaps of the years from 1952, when I left NIH, until Bob transferred to the National Cancer Institute in 1968. The major informants were Drs. Bob (Robert M.) Chanock, Al (Albert Z.) Kapikian, and Jan (Janet W.) Hartley. They each contributed documents and personal recollections of their research and collaboration with Huebner. Chanock provided extensive information of his own biography, history of the Laboratory, continuing humorous anecdotal information about Bob Huebner, and he provided access to the annual reports of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases for the mid-to late 1960s. I had several interviews with the ailing Bob (Robert H.) Parrott, who despite his fragile health, enthusiastically described his research association with Huebner. I had an opportunity to meet with Dr. Leon Rosen on one of his infrequent visits to the LID from his home near Paris, France (arranged by Bob Chanock). He described his important participation in the Junior Village studies. Dr. John L. Sever described his collaboration with Bob Huebner on the production and testing of multiviral antigens and antibodies and studies of rubella. Dr. Alexis I. Shelokov of LID, though not working directly with Huebner, was the source of much interesting anecdotal information over the course of writing this manuscript. Dr. James A. Rose, who was on temporary assignment from NCI to Wally Rowe’s unit, had ample opportunity to study interactions between Rowe and Huebner and also to observe some of Huebner’s idiosyncrasies. The person who provided me the most valuable insight into Bob Huebner’s involvement with the National Cancer Institute was Dr. Carl G. Baker, former Director of Beeman, Robert J. Huebner, M.D.: A Virologist’s Odyssey, 2005. 7 NCI from 1969 to 1972. I had several extensive meetings with Dr. Baker who generously lent me some of his personal papers and books. I also had access in the files of the NIH History Office to Dr. Baker’s meticulous writings relating to the Virus Cancer Program. The first set of writings was a series of oral interviews which he conducted in 1995 with persons who were involved prominently in the Virus Cancer Program.