Dr. William J. Gartland, Jr. 
January 31, 1984 - Page 5 
4. Should the NIH Guidelines be limited strictly to 
biomedical research? 
Because of the universal applicability of the basic 
concepts referred to earlier, we believe that the 
activities of the RAC should not be confined to the 
biomedical field. 
We support the suggestions made by others to add 
RAC members with expertise in various areas as 
needed — particularly in epidemiology and microbial 
ecology. To create additional independent committees 
for reviews of other fields would simply increase 
communication difficulties; the organizational 
redundancy would place further strain on our avail- 
able intellectual resources. Additional structures 
would only create delays in a scientific endeavor that 
requires a highly efficient review process to keep up 
with the expanding knowledge base. 
For the reasons stated in this letter, we recommend that the role 
of the advisory committee not be diminished. 
Respectfully yours. 
Irving S. Johnson 
ISJ: as/rl 
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