September 27, 1984 
Or. William Gartland 
RAC/N1H 
Bldg. 31, 3B-10 
9000 Rockville Pike 
Bethesda, HD 20205 
Dear Dr. Gartland, 
We are writing this letter In response to Jeremy Rif kin's 
proposals of August 21 and 23, 1984 that the N1H should prohibit 
experimentation Involving transfer of genetic traits from one 
mammalian species Into the germllne of another unrelated mammalian 
species. Rlfkln's basic argument Is that each species has a "telos" 
or Integrity and that the Introduction of foreign DNA Into the 
germllne violates this "telos." We have some difficulty 
understanding Rlfkln's philosophy. By using the words such as 
"telos" which means "ultimate end or aim" according to Webster's 
dictionary and "Integrity", he seems to Imply that Individuals 
within a species are genetically Identical and unmutable - a concept 
that runs counter to the genetic Instability that Is observed (due 
to point mutations. Insertions, deletions and rearrangements) and to 
the process of evolution. In addition to not sharing this 
philosophy, we believe that there are a number of social, practical 
and scientific arguments against adopting this or similar proposals. 
First of all. It Is Important to note that experiments 
Involving gene transfer between mammalian species have been Included 
In many grants over the past few years. Our grants, like those of 
others, have been reviewed by the respective Departments, Schools 
and Universities for adherence to guidelines governing 
experimentation with animals and recombinant DNA. In addition, our 
grants have been subject to scientific scrutiny by N1H study 
sections and then approved and funded by the Institute of Child 
Health and Human Development. Thus, there has been extensive review 
of the safety and scientific merits of this research. 
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