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Dear Dr.

Thank you for forwarding the two preliminary copies of your proposal to me for review. I have taken the liberty of distributing copics to many of the interested persons for information and corment. I will keep youinformed of all reactions as I receive then. In the meantine, I have completed my review and would like to take this opportmity to thank you for the effort you have expended in preparing thia proposal.

In the course of our l8 May telephone conversation, I reviewed many of the points I would normally have covered in this letter. In the interest of brevity I will simply outline then below.

i. The macroelectrode-micro-manipulator coutradiction, a misprint as you explained, however, more information is needed as to desigu, placenent, etc.

2. Since the dog skull is.somewhat variable, what criteria for stimulating electrode placement will be used? Will you be using a standard reference current to eliminate variations due to position? If you feel it necessary it may be wise to discuss the problem.

3. The problems posed by possible contraction of the spleen.

4. Organized criteria of effect, i.e., behaviorai, analgesic, anesthetic, etc.

5. Use of descriptors and measurements of waveform, i.e., rise time, peak duration, decsy time, etc.

Regarding these problems the nost severe test vill be to organize suitable scaio for judging the effect of electrical stimulation. This section in particular meeds expansion and refinccent. Do not hesitate to use references to establish preccdent. It ssems to mc that soae care will have to be exorcised in the organization of these criteria to prevent the final sumary from degeneracing into an anecdotal sumary of a serles of case histories.

May 25, 1966

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Since the mode of application of current through the electrddes effects the state of the animal, I wonder if you intend to standardize the procedure of turning-on the current. What will dotermine the maximm current strength to be used? What considerations will deternine how fast you will approach this maximm? If you proceed through a range of intensities, to a fLied maximum, will you be prepared to record traneient changes which may occur?

As I understand vour situatioa. it vill take two nonths to get the ppogrm underway. Onco started you plan to use 50o dogs in the courae of the next ten months. I believe you also plan to re-us" theae aniails whcncver possible, within the constraints imooaed by thr pozeut.ai residus. tffrcts of prior manipulation. Consequentiy, I have nocx doui. Liia: yo: v:il be able to complete your study as outlined in the firat year, an: havr been joined by others in wondering about the dctails of your protocoi. Purhaps these questions may be answered best by further discussion in the boiy of the proposal.

I have finished with my specific comments; however, I would like to addrese a few words to the general problem of getting elcctronarcosis research sponsored. Because of the recent history of this field of endeavor. spotty-ness of performance and redundancy of the work it wili be difficult, at best,to sell. Consequently, proposals in this subject area will have to be complete, well documented and realistic in scope to receive support. As I told you last October and reiterated on the telephone, I believe this study is both needed and wanted. But to receive any but cursory attention it will have to deal with well-organized, hard-headed research. Even then, it would be foolish to promise support of any kind in advance.

With this in mind, I would like to ask you to aake this proposal as a starting point, detail out your research plan, and place it within a documented framework.

In the meantime, if you have any need to call me please feel free to do so. and I may be reached during the day at Area Code will be happy to give you any assistance you may require.

Regarding your questlon on institutional overhead, I can scarcely be considered an authority in this araa. However, insofar as I can determine, this figure is negotiable and will not have any effect on the acceptability of the proposal.

Once again, I wiah to thank you for your effort in preparing this proposal.
I am looking forward to a continuation of our cormunication.

Sincerely,