236 
his major problems. Instead, we and too much of the outside world is worry- 
ing about a very minor thing while Rome is burning. People are still sick, 
dying, and we should worry about it. 
DR. FREDRICKSON: Thank you, Dr. Watson. Would you remain at the podium? 
I think Dr. Ahmed would like to comment or ask a question. 
DR. AHMED: I am having a great 
ments here. Let me put it this way. 
a mistake — 
deal of difficulty following your argu 
First you say that the moratorium was 
DR. WATSON: Yes. 
DR. AHMED: — and Asilomar was a disaster. 
DR. WATSON: Yep. 
DR. AHMED: And everything else you have done, you have retracked back, 
and you now suddenly see the light. 
DR. WATSON: No, I think I saw it a couple — 
DR. AHMED: Let me try to finish. You have been to many blind alleys, is 
apparently what you are saying. 
DR. WATSON: Yes. 
DR. AHMED: What assurance do we have that now you have finally seen 
the light when you have made so many mistakes in the past, that now relaxa- 
tion is the right way? 
(Laughter . ) 
DR. WATSON: I think you have to go to the general philosophical thing of 
what is a free society, that you allow your neighbor to do what he wants 
unless there is real evidence that he is a killer and just doesn't look like 
one. That is a very important distinction in the eyes of the law. There is 
no evidence at all that recombinant DNA research poses the slightest danger 
to anyone. You can say it does, but you haven't got any evidence of anyone 
getting sick, or any animal getting sick. That is the way. 
Now, if you want to take DDT, you can say that bird's eggs don't hatch. 
Or you can take dioxin. I wanted to put together something that I am going 
to call the Whole Risk Catalogue, which puts together all risks, and I have 
thought of those which start with D. Dogs, doctors, dieldrin, dioxin, dober- 
mans . I could just go down the line. And where do I put DNA? Awfully low 
in the eyes of the things which I think an intelligent society should be 
worrying about. 
[ 440 ] 
