Description:

Pauling Linus

Linus Pauling, Nobel Prize winning scientist, TLS regarding Vitamin B

 

1p TLS on off-white watermarked stationery with "Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine, 440 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California" letterhead signed by research scientist Linus Pauling (1901-1994) as "Linus Pauling" in black felt tip pin at center. In near fine condition. Light expected paper folds and isolated minor foxing to bottom edge. The page measures 8.5" x 11".

 

World-renowned biochemist Linus Pauling wrote this TLS to Connecticut veterinarian George D. Whitney (1918-2013) on March 17, 1981 from the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine in northern California.

 

"Dear Dr. Whitney:

 

I have read your letter with interest.

 

I do not know what to think about your observations. It would seem to me that B vitamins might also be helpful to dogs in controlling distemper. Whether your idea about destruction of biotin by raw egg white as an explanation of the value of raw eggs to the puppies has value, I do not know … "

 

The exact nature of Dr. Whitney's letter to Linus Pauling is unknown, but the two seem to be discussing the role that vitamins play in the treatment and/or prevention of canine distemper. Specifically, Whitney may have speculated that vitamin B would strengthen a sick dog's nervous system, the body system most affected by the disease. Dr. Whitney had given raw eggs to puppies to observe its effects; biotin, otherwise known as Vitamin B7, is neutralized by the presence of a protein often found in raw eggs. Dr. Whitney, along with his veterinarian father Dr. Leon F. Whitney (1894-1973), had published a monograph called The Distemper Complex in 1953. Their book explored the causes, symptoms, and treatment of canine distemper, a nearly always fatal illness caused by a highly contagious virus.

 

Pauling has been called one of the top 20 scientists of all time, and in the 1980s, he was truly a science rock star. He published over 1,200 papers and books over his 60-year-long career, most exploring topics in chemistry, microbiology, and nutrition. Pauling became especially interested in an area he termed orthomolecular research, which examined whether vitamins and nutrients could treat symptoms of diseases and extend life span. Although Pauling's insistence that "megavitamin therapy" could thwart everything from the common cold to psychiatric disorders, it is generally discredited in today's medical community.

 

Dr. George D. Whitney received his veterinarian degree from Auburn University in Alabama. He practiced medicine for over 50 years at the Whitney Veterinary Clinic, located in Orange, Connecticut.

 

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