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Professor Alf and Mrs. Inger Brodal
Prestasen 14, 1310 Blommenholm
Baerum, Norway
27 July 1984
Dear Inger and Alf,
I apologize for having not written for some time, but I would ask you to
understand that I have been (until the middle of July, every year) very busy in
doing lectures and dissection with students.
In the mean-time, I should say, we have been studying the association-fibers in
the cerebrum and pretecto-olivary projections in monkeys with HRP and isotope
tracing methods. In addition, we have introduced the method of transplantation
using rats ? as you may guess, it will take time that I can say openly that we
are doing jobs in this bewildering field, albeit interesting. We are trying to
produce some results in the fields familiar to us, for instance, the cerebellum.
I am very sorry that I could not find time to visit you in June, when I joined
the gtransplantation symposiumh in Lund, organized by Anderes Bjorklund. I just
attended the meeting to get an idea in this field. My plane-ticket was too
restricted to change the route.
Takako and I very often talk about you. We sincerely hope both of you are well,
particularly Inger is improving after the operation, in spite of the hot
weather. I enclose two, recent pictures of Yoko and Takako, who join me in
sending you the best wishes and warm greetings.
With our love and respect, yours as ever,
Takako and Koki
(Koki Kawamura)
P.S. I am sending you, separately, our recent papers to the institute.
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p.t. Tuddel. Aug 14, 1984
Dear Koki,
Thank you for your recent letter, reprints and prints of photos. I was just
about to write you when your letter arrived, and as we were that day leaving for
a 2 weeks stay in our cottage in Tuddel, I brought the letter (but not the
reprints) with me.
As to the latter I did not manage to read them before we left, but I understand
you are busy as ever and adding new information on subjects of interest. I
certainly believe that still a wealth of detailed information is needed, before
we (if we ever do?) are able to understand the intricacies in structure and
functions of the CNS. As years have passed, I feel, that more than ever before,
to understand something of the chemistry, transmitters etc., we need a thorough
knowledge of the structural minutiae. It will be interesting to see, whether the
transplantation experiments will be fruitful. It is indeed a very complex
problem.
The photos were nice, particularly that one of Yoko, apparently just ready to
leave for school. She has certainly grown since we saw her and appears to be a
charming young lady, as we are sure she is!
As to ourselves, as I mentioned, we are at present up in the mountains in our
cottage, of which you have certainly seen pictures. So far the weather has been
fine, and we have taken some small trips on foot, picked blueberries, which this
year are unusually large and plentiful. Here is perfect place and quietness, no
telephone, no mail!
As concerns health, Inger has recovered physically rather satisfactorily after
her operation in Sept. 1983, but the last half year she has been somewhat
depressed and frustrated because her cataract creates troubles when she reads
and she feels that her memory is declining. The last phenomenon is, as you know,
a common feature of ageing and I have also noted this myself, troubles come
particularly when you are trying to write a scientific paper. The speed of
thinking and of movements is also reduced. Some months ago I had to start
digitoxin therapy, an account of troublesome dyspnea (left ventricle failure).
But after all, one can manage with several handicaps and enjoy life in spite of
these. One just has to accept the situation. I have a suspicion that my future
scientific activity will be rather modest. At present I have as I may have told
you, a paper in press in the J.C.N., apparently soon in appearing and another
one in Exp. Br. Res. with Per on the secondary vestibular projection in the
monkey.
Before we went up to Tuddal we had a nice trip by car to some parts of eastern
Norway which we had never seen. The weather was favorable, the roads good, and
the traffic reasonable. We stayed first for 3 days in a hotel near Rieres, where
we made excursions by foot, and then visited several places, where we stayed the
right over in motels or old guesthouses. Altogether a somewhat strenuous trip,
but very interesting and nice.
In between this and some small excursions we have been at home and enjoyed the
garden. All is well with children grandchildren. I may mention that Per, who was
very active as a rower in his younger years, has now been bitten by the bacillus
of race-cycling. Once a week he takes pest in races, up to 90 kilometers, and
enjoys this strenuous exercise, it appears.
I hope you have had so far, and will continue to have for some time still, a
nice summer. It would have been extremely nice if you had been able to visit us
from Lund, and we hope that next time you are in Europe, it will be possible fro
you to make a detour to Oslo.
Inger and I send our warmest greetings to you all there. Please remember us to
your mother!
Yours as always,
Inger and Alf
My dear Takako and Yoko!
We are sorry we never managed to take you all up to our country place when you
stayed in Oslo. We still love this primitive mountain place with three small
houses! Love to you all,
Yours,
Inger
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Professor Alf Brodal
Anatomical Institute
University of Oslo
Karl Johans gate 47
Oslo 1, Norway 18 October 1984
Dear Inger and Alf,
Thank you for your kind letter of August 14th from Tuddel and for the two
reprints: 1) Some implications of recent advances in neuroanatomy. Are they of
interest for clinical neurology? 2) The vestibular nuclei in the macaque monkey.
I am particularly interested in the last part of the first paper concerning the
matters of mysterious plastistic behaviour of neuron groups (i.e. brain) and its
complexity. I am grateful for your sending me a copy of this article at the time
I have started the transplantation work and interested in the neurobiology. Art
is long, but I will always remember what you mentioned (p.21): Our budding
understanding of neuronal plasticity and its anatomical basis has contributed to
a therapeutic optimism that is gradually replacing previous defaitistic (Alf, is
this correct? defeit? middle English meaning spoiled or uncorrect? Please let me
know) attitudes in neurological therapy.
I am sorry for my delayed writing. I was asked to organize an anatomical meeting
at Morioka this October. And it is just over. At present, I read sometimes the
Cajalfs great books gDegeneration and Regeneration of the Nervous Systemh and
gStudies on Vertebrate Neurogenesish. Marvelous, indeed, full of gnew
information for me. Regrettably, therefore, I have to give up the writing of the
text-book of Neuroanatomy, on which you kindly gave me your advices. I realize
that in human life the selection of what to do, and what not to do is important.
I hope you will understand me.
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18 October 1984
Professor Alf Brodal
Dear Inger and Alf, please take the best care of yourself. We are sorry to hear
that cataract and heart failure occurred on you. But one can enjoy life, as you
are doing it, in spite of some troubles. We always feel your kindness shown to
us in these thirteen years!! Takako says very often that she wants to visit you
in Oslo again all together (three of us).
With our kind regards and warm greetings from
(Koki Kawamura)
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AB/G November 16, 1984
Professor Koki Kawamura, M.D.
Department of Anatomy
School of Medicine
Iwate Medical University
Morioka 020
JAPAN
Dear Koki,
Thank you for your letter of October 18th. I am glad that you found the paper on
the clinical aspects of neuroanatomy of interest.
It is indeed wise of you to use some time to study Cajal. All too often
contemporary scientists pay no attention to findings of their predecessors, and
proclaim observations they make for example with HRP as new, although the same
has been shown by older methods long ago.
I can understand that you shrink away from textbook-writing. Concerning the term
gdefaitistich this is OK, being derived from gfaithh, meaning without faith. It
has nothing to do with gdefeath.
As to more serious matters. I may mention that on Saturday afternoon Oct. 20 I
lifted a 25 kg. bag of potatoes out of the luggage room of the car, and in the
course of some hours the symptoms of a herniated disc (right L5) appeared.
Bodvar arranged that late on Monday I was admitted to Riks ?hospitalet, the
Neurological Department. I am still there and have been subjected to various
procedures, including CT-scan, scintigraphy, X-ray of lungs, heart and
intestines, rectoscopy and colonoscopy. A tumor about size of a small walnut
(adenoma) was unexpectedly found in the rectum and removed, and there were some
smaller papllomas in the transverse colon. They shall probably be removed as
well. The reason for the investigations of the bowels was that in the course of
the two first days there developed a subileus, which fortunately appears to have
receded. So there were a few findings including some haematuria, in addition to
the main symptoms of a herniated nucleus.
I have now been lying in bed for 2 weeks. The pain in the right leg has receded
to a considerable extent, but there is a rather marked paresis of dorsiflexion
of the right big toe and foot. On movements, and walking, pains are rather
disabling, and so far exercises have been very limited. The neurologists
(including Bodvar), neurosurgeons, and I have decided on a conservative
treatment. This requires patience, however. It is particularly frustrating that
sitting, especially in the bed, is not to be recommended (and rather painful),
and to a lesser extent writing is not quite easy. Fortunately, Miss Gorset knows
my handwriting so well that she can interpret it.
Inger has to take care of almost everything these days. I am feeling completely
useless. The children and grandchildren are well. They all celebrated Perfs 40
yearfs birthday last Saturday. It is incredible that our youngest child has
already reached 40 years of age!
I believe that with the help of time, patience and some exercises I will be able
to move around fairly well, but I will have to be careful with all sorts of
heavy work.
Inger sends her best regards to you all three, as do I.
yours,
Alf
(A. Brodal)
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Professor emeritus Alf Brodal
Anatomical Institute
University of Oslo
Karl Johans gate 47
Oslo 1, Norway
3 December 1984
Dear Alf,
Thank you for your letter of November 16th.
It has given me a surprise to learn that you have been lying in bed for two
weeks, suffered from a lumbar herniated disc. We do hope that the pain has been
receding and the papillomas have been removed. We also hope that Inger keeps her
good condition in health, taking care of you.
Our transplantation works have now been progressing, although preliminary. We
have obtained the results of surviving cells in the primordial tissues of the
cerebellum and the ventromedial part of the caudal medulla translated in the
adult cerebellum. We are discussing how to tackle the problem of the formation
of patterns in the olivocerebellar projection of rats.
When I will see you again in the near future, I am willing to bring our data
with me, and would ask your comments and discussion.
Please take the best care of yourself, dear Inger and Alf.
With kind regards and warm greetings from
Koki
Dear Inger and Alf,
For your good health, as ever,
Takako
Yoko
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X-mas f84
Dear Takako, Yoko and Koki,
We are late in our (Christmas?) greetings this year, on account of my nuclear
protrusion (L5) which I suppose I have mentioned previously. But the improvement
is satisfactory, so we can at least send you our very best wishes for a Happy
New Year!
Our activities have been somewhat reduced in the last few months but we were
able to have a very nice X-mas Eve celebration in Anne Britfs home, and on the
next day the entire family, 13 altogether were in Inger Helene and Bodvarfs home
for a party. All is well with children and grandchildren, and we hope the same
in the case with you.
Warmest greetings from yours
Inger and Alf
P.S. The Portuguese translation of gNeurological Anatomyh has now appeared, the
Italian came last year.
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