letters to Armenian colleagues 1974-1982
LETTERS OF V.B.D.SKERMAN, H. SEELIGER,
S.P.LAPAGE, M.Elisabeth SHARP TO ARMENIAN
COLLEAGUES E.G.AFRIKIAN, Z.CH.DILANIAN, S.Sh.TER-
KAZARIAN IN CONNECTION WITH POPULARIZATION
IN RUSSIAN MAIN DOCUMENTS OF INTERNATIONAL
NOMENCLATURE REFORM IN BACTERIOLOGY
(1975-1982)
(some of the 50 preserved letters)
1. Department of Microbiology,
31st March, 1976
Professor E.G.Afrikian, Institute of Microbiology,
Abovian City, Armernian SSR 378510, U.S.S.R.
Dear Evrik,
It was grand to see you again in Bombay and also to have you on the Board
of W.F.C.C.Dr. Lagage asked me if I would write to you about the matter of the copyright on the International Code of Nomenclature etc., about which I spoke to you in your room in the Nataraj. The position relating to copyright of
the Code is that copyright is vested in the IAMS and has been under the
control of the Secretary General, Dr. Senez.
The reason for insisting upon the rules of copyright for foreign languages is that
the Judicial Commission of the ICSB, which is responsible for the
formulation of the publication of the Code has to satisfy itself that foreign translation of the Code are accurate before giving assent to printing.
Dr. Sneath of Lancaster, England is Chairman of the Commission and
the responsibility lies with him to ensure on health of the Commission that translations meet these requirements.
Consequently, any Russian translation of the Code requires two things.
1.Consent of Dr. Senez as Secretary General of the IAMS.
2.Consent of Dr. Sneath as Chairman of the Juridical Commission.
I would be pleased if you could observe these formalities prior to issue
of any Russian translation of the Code.
Yours sincerely, V.B.D.SKERMAN, Professor of Microbiology
2. NATIONAL COLLECTION OF TYPE CULTURES (PUBLIC Health Laboratory Service)
CENTRAL PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY, COLINDALE AVENUE, LONDON NW9 5H
3rd March, 1975
Dear Professor Dilanyan,
May I thank you for the Russian translation of the Proposed Revision
of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria. Sir Ashley Miles
has also asked me to thank you for his copy, and has notified the Secretary
General of IAMS.
The final text which was altered slightly from the Revision at the
Jerusalem Bacteriology Section Congress should be published some time this
year hopefully in the summer. I am impressed with the speed with which you
have prepared a Russian translation and the updating should not cause great difficulties since the changes to the text were relatively minor. I also
have pleasure in enclosing for your information a short account of the work
of the World Federation for Culture Collections.
With many thanks from Sir Ashley and myself for our copies, and will
see that you receive a copy of a final text of the Code.
Yours sincerely, S.P.Lapage Curator
Professor Z.Dilanyan, International Dairy Federation,
Zootechnical-veterinary Institute, Nalbandian st., 128 Yerevan-25, USSR.
Enc. c.c. Sir Ashley Miles, President, International Association of Microbiological SocietiesDr. J.C. Senez, Secretary General, “ Professor V.B.D.Skerman, Chairman, International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology
3 INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE ON SYSTEMATIC BACTERIOLOGY
of the INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MICROBIOLOGICAL SOCIETIES 8th April, 1976
Professor Z.Dilanyan 33, Eleventh St. of Nor-Nork, apt 40,
Yerevan-78, USSR
Dear Professor Dilanyan,
Dr. Lapage has asked me in a letter of 30 March, to write to
you relating to the copyright of the International Code of Nomenclature
of Bacteria. He has also asked me to write Evrik Afrikian and I am
attaching a copy of that letter for your information.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN Chairman of ICSB
4 NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN DAIRYNG
University of Reading, Shinfield, Reading, England
28 February 1974
Professor Dilanian 25 Nalbandian st., Yerevan 25, USSR
Dear Professor Dilanian,
I have received your telegram asking about the chapter on Lactobacilli
and new code of Bacterial Nomenclature. The volume on Lactobacilli is
the new revised chapter of these organisms, written by Professor M.Rogosa
and is to form part of the new 8th Edition of Bergey’s Manual of
Determinative Bacteriology. This is due to be published later this year.
Whilst I do have a copy of Rogosa’s chapter of lactobacilli, I do not feel
that I can send it to you without his permission, as he is the author of it.
I am, therefore, writing to him to explain the situation and will give
him your address so that he can send you a copy himself. If you wish to
correspond directly with him, his address is:
Professor M.Rogosa National Institute of Dental Research
National Institute of Health Bethesda, Maryland, USA
As to the New Code of Bacterial Nomenclature, a proposed revised code
was published in the International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 1973, 23, 83-108.
This has still to be ratified, but can I think be taken to be the new
code of nomenclature. I have a spare copy of this journal, so I am sending
it to you under separate cover. I am also sending you reprints of two of
my recent publications on Lactobacilli which you might find of interest.
The one on pathogenic lactobacilli has excited much interest in many
countries.
I should be very glad to receive reprints of all your recent work relating
to lactobacilli.Should this be a big field of study for you, you might be interested to hear of the International Sub Committee for Lactobacilli and related organizations.
With kind regards, Yours sincerely M. Elisabeth Sharp
5. NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN DAIRY University of Reading
28 June 1974
Prof. Z. Ch. Dilanian, 47 Nalbandian St., Yerevan-25, USSR
Dear Professor Dilanian,
Thank you very much for sending to me the delightful book on Yerevan
and its environs. I was so pleased to have it and it is most kind of you
to send it. What a lovely place it seems to be, and what interesting
buildings and scenery.
Thank you also for your long letter, written some time ago. I was
waiting to hear more news of the new Bergey Manual before writing to you.
I have now heard that it will bt published in September 1974. I strongly
recommend you to wait until it is published before you publish guide
for identification of lactic acid bacteria. You will find that there area
number of new species of lactobacilli mentioned, and some old ones
discarded. Peptostreptococci are also completely revised, and other
families and genera also be altered. So it would really be a good idea
for you to await the 8th Edition of Bergey and to incorporate the new
taxonomy in your own book. Then USSR microbiologists will use the same
species names as Western scientists.
If you have any difficulty in obtaining Bergey when it comes out, I could probably get it for you and send it to you, if you could arrange to send
me the money. Let me know if this is a good idea.
I was most interested to read in your letter of your thousands of strains
of lactic acid bacteria. This should provide very valuable data, not only
for USSR workers, but also for microbiologists in other countries.
I do not seem to have received your papers about lactobacilli, although
I was very pleased to receive the book you sent to me some time ago.
I am most glad to be corresponding with you about lactic acid bacteria and
I hope that we may continue to do so. I am sorry that I cannot send you
the dataon Lactobacilli in the new Bergey, but it is written by Professor
Rogosa.
With kind regards. Yours sincerely, M. Elisabeth Sharpe
6 NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN DAIRING, University of Reading
14 March 1975
Professor Z. Dilanyan, International Dairy Federation, USSR, Yerevan-25,
Nalbandian st., 128 Zootechnical and Veterinary Institute
Dear Professor Dilanyan,
Thank you for your kindness in sending to me the Russian translation
of the International Code, and your scheme for the identification of
lactic acid bacteria. Unfortunately I am not able to read Russian, nor
is there a convenient translator at our institute, so I am unable
to comment on what looks like a most interesting piece of work. If I am
able to find someone to help me with the translation, I shall be very
glad to study this.
I can only comment on p. 157-158 and say that the scheme seems to fit
in generally with our ideas on taxonomy of the lactic acid bacteria. We
should however consider that Pediococcus contains several more species
than those you mention.
I am sending under separate cover my copy of Rjgosa’s chapter on
Lactobacilli for Bergey 8th Edition. As this is now in print, but you
may not yet have obtained it, perhaps you would like to see it. I should
be glad if you would return it to me.
With rind regards, Yours sincerely M.Elizabeth Sharpe
7. University of Queensland, Department of microbiology, St. Lucia,
Brisbane, Australia, 4067
8th May, 1975
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazaryan, 33, Eleventh St. of Nor-Nork, apt. 40, Yerevan-76,
USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazaryan,
Thank you for your letter of 6th April, requesting permission to
publish a Russian translation of my Key for the Determination of Generic
position of bacteria published in Bergey’s Mannual
I personally have no objection to this. However, the copyright does not
lie in my hands, but with the publishers Williams and Wilkins, and you
need to have their assent before proceeding. I am sending a copy of your
letter and mine to Williams and Wilkins for their advice. I have already
indicated to the publishers that I was not agreeable to the English version
being reproduced for independent circulation.
I have to thank you for the Russian version of the draft of the
International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, and would like to commend
you for the speed with which you produced this document. However, I must
point out two things to you. I understand that Dr.Lapage may have already
informed you of one.
Firstly, the document which you translated into Russian is NOT the final
Code. There have been a number of amendments made to it and other editorial corrections, and Dr. Lapage is currently in the process of doing the final
editing of the gallery proofs for publication by the ASM Publications
Office. It would be necessary for you, after the official Code has been
published, to make modifications in your translation to make it conform
with the final document.
The second item is that permission to translate the Code should have been
obtained from the Chairman of the Judicial Commission, Prof. P.H.A.Sneath,
before you proceeded. You may have done this. The reason is that the
copyright of the document belongs to the ISCB and a previous decision taken
during the reign of Dr. Buchanan, is that all foreign translations had to be
approved by the ICSB before release.
When you make the amendments necessary to bring your translation into line
with the final document, I would be pleased if you would take the formal
step of submissing it to Prof. Sneath seeking his endorsement of
the publication before its issue.
After Williams and Wilkins assent to your producing the Key in Russian,
I would be delighted to have a copy of the Russian version. It may help
to improve my competence in reading the language and particularly to
understand the Russian expressions equivalent to the English in taxonomic
areas.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN
8. University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4067, Department
of Microbiology
31st July, 1975
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazaryan 33, Eleventh St. of Nor-Nork, apt. 40 Yerevan-76, USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazaryan,
Thank you for your letter of 13th June received here on 3rd July. We have
been very busy with an international conference at which your colleague
Professor Afrikian was present.
Thank you for the advice regarding publication of a Russian version
of my Key. In your letter you state that on the 1st June you sent a copy
to me - so far it has not arrived so I cannot comment on it. It would
be hard to say that the Abstracts cover all the methods in the present
Bergey Manual, but it will certainly cover most of them.
My own Guide to the Identification of Bacteria published in 1967 which
is now out of Print, and no copies available to us, contained all
the methods required to reach generic definition.
We are now working on an additional one.
In this country the ‘g’ in Bergey is pronounced as the ‘g’ in ‘gun’.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN Professor of Microbiology
9.University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4067, Department
of Microbiology
17th August, 1975
Dr. S.Ter-Kazaryan, 33, Eleventh St. of Nor-Nork, apt. 40 Yerevan-76,
USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazaryan,
Professor Sneath has forwarded me the copy of his letter to you
of 18.7.75 in which he thanks you for the copy of the Russian Version
of the my Keys to the Bergey’s Manual. As I was advised earlier that
a copy had been dispatched to me which has never arrived, I am wondering
if it was sent to the wrong man. I would still appreciable a copy.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN Professor of Microbiology
10 University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4067, Department
of Microbiology
6th October, 1975
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazarian, 11th Nor-Nork st., Block 33, apt. 40, Yerevan-76,
USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazarian
Thank you for your letter of 22nd September. I am pleased to advise
you that the 4 copies of my Key which you dispatched by airmail have
now been received. They will help me to brush my Russian.
You are taking on a monument task in translating the whole of Bergey-8
into Russian and I wonder whether it is worth it. I have found
the document extremely disappointing in its form and very difficult
to follow. I don’t think you will have much success in trying to persuade
anybody to produce the Keys to the different genera where these are missing.
We seem to have developed a generation of negative scientists whose vision
has been clouded unduly by the attitude of numerical analysts are far from
solving the problems of systematic. In saying this I must point out that
I myself am much engaged in numerical analysis. The more we look at the
less we are encouraged by it.
I am pleased to note that the Key at least is proving useful.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN, Professor of Microbiology
11 University of Queensland, Department of Microbiology, St. Lucia,
Queensland, Australia, 4067
6th May, 1976
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazaryan,Veterinary Institute, Laboratory of Dairy Technology,
128 Nalbandian St., Yerevan-25, USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazaryan,
Mr. Robert Day has sent a copy of the letter to you of April 28 along
with a copy of your letter to him of 31 March. I am also pleased to note
that he sent you a copy of my letter to professor Afrikian, whom I know
very well personally from a number of contacts at conferences.
This is now the fourth request from Russia for permission to reproduce
the Code. I note from your letter that the publishing house to which
you refer is also in Yerevan. The other three people who have contacted
us about the Code are
Dr. L.V.Kalakoutskii, Microbial Ontogenesis Research Unit,
Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms, USSR Academy
of Sciences, Vavilova st.34, Moscow ,USSR
Professor E.G.Afrikian, Institute of Microbiology, Abovian City, Armenian SSR, USSR
Professor Z. Dilanyan, 33, Eleventh St. of Nor-Nork, apt. 40,
Yerevan 76, USSR
I sincerely hope that you can come to some common agreement
about the publication to avoid any confusion in the matter.
Yours sincerely, V.B.D.SKERMAN, Professor of Microbiology
12 University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4067, Department
of Microbiology
24 February, 1977
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazaryan, 11th St. of Nor-Nork, Yerevan-76, 33, apt 40,
USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazaryan,
I have received your letter of 21 January 1977with the copy of your
letter to Dr. Schubert. I am pleased to note your interesting affairs
of the ICSB. However, I have to point out to you that Prof. Dilanian’s
reading of the Statuses of the ICSB may not be accurate.
The Statutes state that members may be proposed for cooption by the
Executive Board of the ICSB, by any organization within a country which
does not have a member society or by a member society.
As I understand the position your Institution lies within the framework
of the USSR which is represented on the IAMS by two member societies:
1.The I.I.Mechnikov’s All-Union Scientific Medical Society for
Epidemiologists, Microbiologists and Infectionists
2.The All Union Society of General Microbiology
Any recommendation for cooption would have to come from one of these
Societies. To this date all efforts made by myself and by the Executive
Secretary, Dr. Schubert to obtain Full Member nominations from both of these Societies has failed to obtain any response. In other words, we have,
at present, no representatives from the USSR. We are not permitted to act independently in cooption of members from countries which have member
societies.
Perhaps Prof. Dilanyan could discuss this matter with the All-Union
Society for General Microbiology with which activities of your Institute
seem most closely related.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN
CC R. Schubert
13 University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Department
of Microbiology
10 July 1977
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazar’ian, Nor-Nork 33apt 40, 11th str., Yerevan 375076,
USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazar’ian
I wish to acknowledge receipt for your copy of the “Guide on the use
of names of bacteria” which was received in this office on 27 June and
which I am pleased to have.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN
14 University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4067, Department
of Microbiology
18 August 1977
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazar’ian, Yerevan Zootechnical Veterinary Institute,
Laboratory of Chair of Dairy Technology, Nalbandian st., Yerevan, USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazar’ian,
Thank you for your letter of 23 July. I am interested to note that
you are planning in collaboration with your friends to order Xerox-copies
or microfilms of all the papers referred to in the Abstracts of
Microbiological Methods. You are undertaking a quite sizeable task and
if the intention is solely to extract from those papers, methods
in microbiology, then you are essentially wasting your time, in so far
that we reported verbatim the statement relevant to methods in each one
of the papers. We did not alter the wording and consequently what you will
find in the papers when you get them, is exactly what you find in my
Abstracts.
When we drew up the Abstracts it was with the ultimate purpose of going
through them again afterwards and producing a handbook on methods as you
are suggesting and we were also interested in the problem of going beyond
the generics to specific identification methods. In fact, in the earlier
part of this year we surveyed another 3,000 papers dating from 1967 onwards
with a view perhaps to producing a second edition of the abstracts. In
some ways we would regard your activity as a kind of imposition upon
our own intention but there are so many things that we try to do and have
no time to do, that I have no desire to develop what we call here a: “dog
in the manger attitude” and wonder whether you would not like
to collaborate in a joint effort to put out the document. I have no
objection to having collaborators.
As for the Manual of Standardized Methods, I think you should forget
about its possible existence. Within the ICSB we have a number of
subcommittees working on the development of minimal standards and the best specification of methods but quite frankly I do not see any prospect of any
formal publication in my lifetime if we follow that avenue. We have been
doing things here privately but putting them out under the heading of WFCC,
ICSB etc. in order to provide those organizations with some funds. Royalties
we receive for the Abstracts of Microbiological Methods and World Directory
of Collections of Cultures we give to those organizations. Also, the American Society for Microbiology, I understand,is going ahead with the object of
producing an ASM Handbook of Methods. With your kind of industry I think
perhaps some collaboration work might be useful. It was my intention after publishing the Abstracts to go through the numerous variations of
a particular method and select out those which were basically different and
put them in a kind of draft of an International Handbook. You might consider
this as a useful line of approach.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN
15 University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4067
8 May 1978
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazarian, 11th st. of Nor-Nork, bl. 33 apt 40,
375076 Yerevan, USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazarian,
I wish to acknowledge receipt of the Russian Version of
the International Code ofNomenclature which you have so kindly sent
to my office.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN
16 University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, 4067, Department
of Microbiology
16 June 1978
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazarian, Zootechnical-Veterinary Inst. of Yerevan,
Nalbandian Street 128, Yerevan, USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazarian,
I am writing to you with regard to the Russian representation on the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology. On 8 March wt wrote
to Dr. V.Timakov and Dr. E. Kondratieva seeking their nominations from the I.I.Mechnikov’s All-Union Scientific Medical Society of Epidemiologists, Microbiologists and Infectionists and the All Union Society of General
Microbiology respectively, to take effect from the end of the Munich
Congress for the ensuing four years. Wt have had no replies to our letters.
This is extremely disturbing to me in view of the proposed publication
of the Approved Lists of Names of Bacteria in 1980 which will become binding
on all the bacterial community and we would seem to have no Russian
commentary on the matter.
Could you give me any advice as to how we can get representatives from
the USSR. I am also addressing this letter to Dr. Afrikian.
Would you please note that if any action can be taken, we also need
a passport size, face-on photograph and a 200-word curriculum vitae stating
the taxonomic interests of the people nominated. The USSR is entitled
to nominate one for each of the societies referred to above.
Please address the correspondence to me. Dr. Schubert, who was
Executive Secretary has resigned.
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN Chairman of ICSB
17 University of Queensland, Department of Microbiology, St. Lucia,
Queensland, Australia, 4067
17th August, 1978
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazarian, Laboratory of the Chair of dairy technology,
Ministry of Agriculture of the USSR, Nalbandian St.,Yerevasn, USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazarian,
Thank you for your letter of 27 VII 1978.
First let me say that we have received no letter from Prof. Dilanian.
We have received one from Prof. Kondratieva nominating Dr. Zavarsin
to the ICSB. Perhaps you are being proposed by another Society. If so
you are welcome. It will however be for 4 years after which it has
to be renewed.
Thank you for the copy of your book on the Latin names of bacteria
and their synonyms. This may prove quite useful shortly in finalizing
the approved lists of names of Bacteria, which will, temporarily at least,
disperse with synonyms! Names not on the list and published prior
to January 1, 1980 will have no further standing in nomenclature.
However, as my copy ceases on p. 347 it is a little difficult
to consult your program on page 359 as stated in your letter!!
Regarding the Russian Translation of my book there is really little
that I can do about it even if I was in the mood to object - only hope
you store up some roubles in royalties if I again visit the USSR!!
I would like to oblige you with a copy of the Abstracts. However
it will astonish you, no doubt, to know that I do not have one myself!
The only personal copy I ever had taken by a representative from
UNESCO and when I asked Wiley for a replacement copy I was informed
that they are now A$97.60 each. This I cannot afford and have to consult
a copy in our Library!!
Please accept my apologies.
Yours sincerely, V.B.D.Skerman, Professor of Microbiology
18 University of Qyeensland, St.Lucia, Brisbane, 4067, Department
of Microbiology
25 February 1981
Dr. S.Sh.Ter-Kazarian, Laboratory of the Chair of Dairy Technology,
Yerevan Zootechnical Veterinary Inst. Nalbandian St. 128, Yerevan USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazarian
I refer to your letter to Prof. Seeliger in reference to the
Approved Lists of Bacterial Names, NN2 and 3, the Abstracts of
Microbiological Methods and the Bergey’s Manual.
I would like to make some points clear.
1.The Approved List of Bacterial Names are subject to approval by Prof.
Seeliger’s IAMS (IUMS) Committee.
2. I do not know what NN 2 and 3 refer to.
3.The Abstracts of Microbiological Methods is a private publication
of my own and has absolutely nothing to do with permission granting
by IAMS (IUMS).
4. The Bergey Manual is the properly of the Bergey Trust and also has nothing to do with theIAMS (IUMS).
Yours sincerely V.B.D.SKERMAN
CC Prof. Seeliger
19 POST CARD
USSR 375076 Yerevan, 11th Nor-Nork Street 33 apt 40 S.Sh.Ter-Kazaryan
From: Professor V.B.D.Skerman, Dept. of Microbiology, University
of Queensland,
St. Lucia, Australia
Thank you for your card and the reprints which arrived in the same
mail yesterday (3 June 1982) ! I pass on three of them to our veterinary
science school. The data on the Streptococci and your collection are
useful to us here. We hope to issue a new World Directory in July.
Sincerely V.B.D.Skerman
20
Wurzburg, 7 October 1977
Mr.S.Sh.Ter-Kazarian Zootechnical-Veterinary Institute of Yerevan,
Nalbandian Street, 128,Yerevan, USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazarian,
This is to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of your letter
dated 12 September in which you announce the sending of your book "Proposed
revision of the International Code of Nomenclature of bacteria”. This book
has arrived safely. We appreciate very much your efforts to familiarize
your colleagues with the work done by the Editorial Board. I have taken congnizance of your listing of bacterial names.
May I draw your attention to the following facts:
a.The new edition of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria,
edited by S.P.Lapage, P.H.A.Sneath, E.F.Lessel, V.B.D.Skerman, H.P.R.Seeliger
and W.A.Clark has become effective since first January 1976 and can be
obtained from the publishing office of the American Society for Microbiology, Washington.This Code supersedes the proposed revision as published in 1974,
the copy of the Russian translation of which you have sent me.
b.Your now booklet "Latin names of the bacteria and their synonyms. Guide
on the use of names of Bacteria” shall be of great interest to Prof. Skerman
and Prof. Sneath to whom I am sending copies of the letter because
the Ad Hoc Committee of the Judicial Commission of the ICSB has published
the first draft of the “Approved Lists of Bacterial Names” in International
Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, v.26? p. 563-599.
Please get in touch with them directly. At the same time I wish
to inform you that I did resign from my commission as Secretary
for Taxonomic Subcommittees of the International Committee on Systematic Bacteriology because I was voted president elect of the International Association of Microbiological Societies.
With kind regards Sincerely yours Prof H. Seeliger
Copies: Prof. Skerman, Prof. Sneath
21 Wurzburg, May 8, 1978
Dr. S.Sh. Ter-Kazarian, 11th st. of Nor-Nork, bl.33, apt. 4, USSR,
375076, Yerevan
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazarian,
This is to acknowledge with many thanks the receipt of the Translation
of the Revised Bacteriological Code into Russian language.
Please accept my cordial congratulations for this excellent work and achievement.
In the hope to meet you in person during the XIIth International Microbiologiczl Congress in Munich.
I remain with kind regards, Sincerely yours, Prof. Dr. H. Seeliger
22 Wurzburg den 16.8.1978
Dr. Ter-Kazarian, 11th Str. Nor-Nork, bl. 33, apt. 40, SU-375076,
Yerevan, USSR
Dear Dr. Ter-Kazarian,
Thank you for sending me your recent book on the LATIN NAMES OF
BACTERIA AND THEIR SYNONYMS. This is a fine and valuable contribution
and I shall certainly make use of it often.
Due to my present position as president-elect of IAMS (to become
President of IAMS at the end of the Munich Congress) I had to resign
from my key post in the International Committee of Systematic Bacteriology.
Nevertheless I have written to Dr. Skerman and to Dr. Sneath consider
you for nomination of post in either the Executive Board of ICSB or in the
new class of the Judical Commission or in the one of the other ad hoc
Committees. If nominated the International Committee will vote, and
the ballot will say who has been elected.
I wholeheartedly agree that your untiring and able work in taxonomic
and nomenclatural matters deserves yes recognition and added prestige.
It seems, however, unlikely to me that you will be nominated as a life-member
of I. C. S. B. This is highest honour that can be extended by I.C.S.B.
and so far has only once be given to the late Prof. Buchanan after some
58 (!) consecutive years on nomenclatural and taxonomic problems.
I hope, however, that some way can be found to honour your merits
and your enthusiasm, and I wish to let you know that I have recommended
to prof. Skerman and to Prof. Sneath to consider your nomination for
a post within I.C.S.B.
Kind regards, Sincerely yours, [prof. Seeliger]
Cc: Dr. Skerman, Dr. Sneath
23 Wurzburg, December 18, 1979
Professor S.Sh. Ter-Kazarian, Nalbandian Str., 128, Zoovetinstitute,
375025 Yerevan, USSR
Dear Professor Ter-Kazarian,
This is to thank you very much indeed for the copy No 97 of your
circular letter concerning the “shorter Bergey’s Manual” as presented
in Russian language. You wound, of course, oblige me very much if you
could make available one free copy to each of the members of
the Executive Board of the International Association of Microbiological
Societies. Their addresses are listed on the enclosed sheet.
Although “Bergey’s Manual” is not an official publication of IAMS,
we take a deep interest in this book and its further editions. I also
trust that the Soviet publisher has cleared ahead of time the legal
question of the rights of translation as well as the question of royalties.
A copy of this letter I sent toProfessor Senez, General Secretary
of IAMS.
I reciprocate cordially your kind wishes for the New Year.
Encl.: cc: Prof. Senez With kind regards Prof. Dr. H. Seeliger
PS: My secretary who is typewriting this letter knows you from the good
photo you sent me a few years ago. She plans to visit Yerevan with a travel
group in July 1980 and would be most pleased if she could hand you over
in person a photo of mine. If that sounds acceptable to you, please don’t
hesitate f letting us know at your earliest convenience.
24 87 Wurzburg, 26.6.1980
Herrn Dr. S. Sch. Ter-Kazarjan, 11th str. of Nor-Nork, apt 40,
375076 Yerevan
Sehr verehter Herr Kollege Ter-Kazarjan,
Mit freudlichem Dank bestatige ich den Erhalt Ihrer Nachricht
vom 16.6, uber die sich meine Privatsekretarin Frau Engel sehr gefreut hat.
Sie legt ein Schreiben bei, aus dem Sie ersehen konnen, dass die geplante
Reise aufgeschoben, aber nicht aufgehoben ist.
Auch ich wurde es sehr begrussen, zu gegebener Zeit einmal Ihre
besonders schone Haimat kennenzulernen.
Mit besten Grussen, Prof. Dr. H.Seeliger
25 Wurzburg, August 11, 1981
Dr. S.Sh. Ter-Kazarian, Yerevan Zootechnical-Veterinary Institute,
Laboratory of Dairy Technology, Nalbandian St. 375025 Yerevan, USSR
Dear Collegue and Friend,
To my great surprise and pleasure my private secretary Mrs. Engel
today not only took up her service again, but she brought me 3 books
with your greetings. For this I thank you very much indeed too bad that
Mrs. Engel could not accept your kind cognac greetings due to the weight
of her own luggage. I appreciate very much the kind idea and drink
my next glass of German brandy to the best of your health.
In the meantime the Executive Board of the International Union of Microbiological Societies has discussed the question of the authorization
of the translation of the approved lists of bacterial names. Consequently
the whole matter is left more or less to the International Committee
of Systematic Bacteriology and Dr. Peter Sneath, Department of Microbiology, University of Leicester, England.
Mrs. Engel conveyed me your kind greetings which I reciprocate
in the sincere hope that we shall perhaps need on the occasion of the
International Microbiological Congress to be held in Boston in August 1982.
At this Congress my period of Presidency of IUMS will end after a total
of 8 years of duty as President-Elect and President.
Please refer my very best personal regards to your coworkers and
your family.
Sincerely yours prof. Dr. H.Seeliger
Cc: Prof. Senez