Medical School 
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 
School of Allied Health Sciences 
School of Nursing 
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston 
Marine Biomedical Institute 
Institute for the Medical Humanities 
UTMB Hospitals at Galveston 
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY & GENETICS 
Area Code 409 
761-2271 
Office of the Chairman 
October 23, 1984 
FOR CONSIDERATION AT October 29, 1984 Meeting, please 
Di rector 
Office of Recombinant DNA Activities 
Building 31 , Room 3B10 
National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda, MD. 20205 
Dear Director: 
This is in comment to the proposed addition of prohibited experiments to 
the guidelines suggested by Mr. Jeremy Rif kin of the Foundation on Economic 
Trends and included in the Federal Register , Volume 49, No. 184, Thursday, 
September 20, 1984. Mr. Rifkin suggests prohibiting all experiments which 
involve the transfer of a genetic trait from one mammalian species into the 
germ line of another unrelated mammalian species. He attempted to justify this 
suggestion by a series of assertions which have no basis in fact or in any 
other reason than his own opinion. Thus he claims that such experiments 
represent, "fundamental assault on the principle of species integrity." He 
asserts that every species has a right to exist as a separate, identifiable 
creature, etc., etc. Certainly Mr. Rifkin is entitled to his opinions. He is 
not entitled to make them natural laws simply by assertion. In fact, his 
assertions are uniformly wrong. The truth is that man has been experimenting 
with crossing animal species since time immemorial. The technology available 
to do it now simply differs from that available formerly. It is, in my opinion, 
dangerous and wrong for a prohibition of the sort suggested to be put into place 
as part of the framework in which American research is conducted. It would 
undoubtedly deter important and potentially useful experiments from being done, 
experiments which would have potential for improving the lot of many species 
including but not limited to mankind. 
Sincerely yours, 
E. Brad Thompson, M.D. 
Chairman and Professor 
