Extensions of Remarks 31395 Extensions of Remarks Dr

September 11, 1970 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 31395 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS DR. LEDERBERG SPEAKS OUT ON become the most efficient means f Jr removing the intentional release of an infectious par BIOLOGICAL WARFARE HAZARDS man from the planet. As a student of evolu ticle, be it a virus or bacteriwn, from the tion, and having studied it in the micro confines of the laboratory or of medical prac cosmos with bacterial cultures, I knew that tice must be condemned as an irresponsible HON. CLEMENT J. ZABLOCKI man had no guaranteed place on our earth. threat against the whole human community. He has faced and continues to face natural The Black Death, the great bubonic plague OF WISCONSIN disasters like the infestations that have that ravaged Europe in the mid-14th century IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES wiped out the American chestnut and the is in fact a well documented historic ex Thursday, September 10, 1970 European grapevine. To these long-standing ample of just this process. The plague first threats would now be added new ones, po entered Europe in 1346 via the sailors, rats, Mr. ZABLOCKI. Mr. Speaker, Dr. tentially of our own invention. and fleas on the ships that returned to Joshua Lederberg, professor of genetics These past 25 years, in the course of which Genoa after having been expelled from at Stanford University and a Nobel Prize the world community has reached a certain Theodosia in the Crimea where the attack winner for his work in biology, recently degree of familiarity with the problems of ing Tartars had catapulted some of their nuclear power, and has undertaken some of corpses into the Genoese fortifications. This addressed the Conference of the Com the steps needed to contain it as a servant plague which reduced the population of mittee on Disarmament in Geneva. for rather than against human aims, have Europe by at least one-third, would of In his talk he emphasized the hazards seen a sustained, remarkable development of course, almost surely have made its way which biological warfare poses to the molecular biology. For example, Professor West sooner or later, the nature of the dis world and urged that the Conference Gobind Khorana recently reported the syn ease being quite beyond the comprehension promptly reach agreement on a ban on thetic assembly of a small gene through of the medical science of that era. the development, production, prolifera chemical operations on DNA components. It The Black Death in Europe was only one wlll be a step of another order of magnitude of many visitations of the plague suffered by tion or use of biological weapons. to extend this technical capability to the Europe during the last 2000 years. We do not His position parallels that of the synthesis of small viruses, but this surely know why this one should have been so U.S. delegation, which has urged that will be accomplished within the next decade. much more disastrous than many others. an agreement on biological weapons be This procedure will allow an unlimited range The progress of a disease in any given indi reached now, with subsequent work on a of experimental variations of the gentle vidual is subject to many factors of which total ban on chemical weapons. This ap structure of different viruses, a process which only a few are well understood. A large epi proach has been opposed by the Soviet has many important potential applications demic, involving millions of people spread Union, its allies, and some neutrals at for human health. It also offers us the pros over time and space, is an immensely more pect of engineering the design of viruses to complicated phenomenon about which it is the Conference. exquisite detail. Accomplishments like Kho very difficult to make accurate scientific pre It is my hope that Dr. Lederberg's mes rana's have been possible in a small labora dictions. This combination of very grave sage of urgency will help break down the tory on an annual research budget which is potential hazard with a high degree of resistance of Communist and other na miniscule compared to weapons hardware. A unpredictability is a peculiar attribute of tions and allow a ban on biological wea serious military investment in this area could biological weaponry at its present stage of pons to be concluded at the next session be expected to outstrip this already breath development. This has a. great deal to do of the Conference. taking pace of advance by many fold. with the rational doctrine that so far has I could mention many other intriguing placed a. relatively low value on its military In the thought that Dr. Lederberg's scientific advances from my own work and utility. statement would be of int.erest to the that of others, and fear only that my enthu The present situation thus might provide Members of the House, I am placing it in siasm in discussing these details might out the most favorable opportunity for inter the RECORD at this point: run your patience in hearing about them. national action to regulate the further de REMARKS BY JOSHUA LEDERBERG, PROFESSOR OF I will be glad to engage later in informal velopment and proliferation of BW. I am GENETICS, STANFORD UNIVEBSITY, l'OB IN• discussions on any aspect of molecular biol convinced we know enough about it to have FORMAL DISCUSSIONS AT THE CONFERENCE OF ogy that may be of interest to you. I will legitimate concern about its future pros THE COMMITTEE ON DISARMAMENT, GENEVA, just mention the discoveries of three methods pects. Until now no nation appears to have AUGUST 5, 1970 of modifying the genetic structure of mi staked its security to any significant degree crobes: 1) cross-breeding them through what on BW armaments. I would therefore hope This is the first occasion at which I have is, essentially, sexual reproduction; 2) in this provides a basis for accord. If we wait been invited to attend a meeting of this serting new genes carried by a virus, a process until BW has been developed into a reliable kind. It is also a 24th anniversary of another called "transduction," and 3) direct manip armament for use under a range of Inilitary occasion when I was a young medical stu ulation of DNA as a chemical substance, and doctrine, we must all fear that it could then dent attending my first scientific conference. reintroducing this into microbial cells. be too late to disengage important powers This was an international meeting at Cold I deeply appreciate the gravity and im from their commitment to it. Spring Harbor, near New York, and it could portance of the work of this Committee. Its If I may return to the Black Death, the be truly labeled as the birthdate of a new principal significance is, of course, for the main barriers that may today keep bubonic scientific field, the genetics of bacteria and security of all the people of the world; and plague from being a great threat in advanced of viruses. My first published work was to that it is only a small addition to mention countries are: 1) understanding of and the presented at that meeting and it concerned my own moral pre-occupation with whether use of quarantine, 2) the suppression of rats the discovery, contrary to decades of pre my own career will have been labeled a bless and fleas by general urban hygiene, and vious supposition to the contrary, that bac ing or a curse to the humanity from which 3) the use of modern therapy, especially teria were indeed possessed of a mechanism I spring.· This comment may have more antibiotics, to control the disease. Each like sexual reproduction which made it pos force if I offer it as not only a personal testi one of these barriers could be breached by sible to crossbreed different bacterial strains. mony but as typical of the dilemma that further technical developments if a sub These observations, together with related faces my entire generation of biological re stantial effort were to be applied during the ones by many other colleagues have gone search scientists and our younger students next decade to making the plague bacillus into the emergence of the most powerful at this very moment. I am therefore many into a weapon. of new methods and insights in experimental times indebted to you not only for your Other infectious agents might be even biology, going generally under the name of present labors but also for having offered me more adaptable. Some of man's deadliest molecular biology. the privilege of a more personal participation enemies are viruses which, like yellow fever, From the very beginning it was inescap in a process that may yet result in civilizing are transmitted by mosquitos or other ar able to me that these new approaches for this branch of science. thropods. These have the advantage, from a the understanding and manipulation of liv For many years BW has been given only military standpoint, that they may not start ing organisms had potential implications for incidental attention as a subject of diplo a potentially retroactive epidemic in areas human progress of very great significance. On matic discussion; for it seemed to have little where the vector insect does not normally the one hand molecular biology could in bearing on the adjustments of power that abound. It is already evident that such in crease man's knowledge about himself and were the main work of specialists in foreign sect-borne viruses could be applied in the lead to revolutionary changes in medicine affairs.

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