Emerg Infect DisEIDEmerging Infectious Diseases1080-60401080-6059Centers for Disease Control and Prevention17176594329346006-082610.3201/eid1210.060826Letters to the EditorLetterAlex Langmuir and CDCAlex Langmuir and CDCWinkelsteinWarrenJr*ReingoldArthur L.*University of California School of Public Health, Berkeley, California, USAAddress for correspondence: Warren Winkelstein, Jr, Professor of Epidemiology (Emeritus), University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA; email: winkelstein@yahoo.com102006121016191619PopovicT, SniderDEJr. 60 years of progress—CDC and infectious diseases.Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:1160–1.16845775Keywords: CDCAlex LangmuirJoe Mountin
To the Editor: We were surprised and disappointed by the brevity of your article commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Communicable Disease Center (CDC) (1). We realize that the accomplishments of the center and its derivative agencies are vast and that to give them full recognition would require far more space in Emerging Infectious Diseases than might be feasible. Nevertheless, your article that appropriately identified Joe Mountin as the administrative "father" of the center omitted any mention of Alex Langmuir, arguably the most influential of the infectious disease leaders over the years. Langmuir's creation and direction of the Epidemic Intelligence Service epitomized CDC's role in infectious diseases. His legacy deserves recognition in any chronicle of CDC, no matter how short.
Suggested citation for this article: Winkelstein W Jr, Reingold AL. Alex Langmuir and CDC [letter]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006 Oct [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1210.060826
ReferencePopovicT, SniderDEJr60 years of progress—CDC and infectious diseases.Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:1160–116845775Emerg Infect DisEIDEmerging Infectious Diseases1080-60401080-6059Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 10.3201/eid1210.060851ArticlePopovicTanja*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USAAddress for correspondence: Tanja Popovic, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Mailstop D50, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA; email: txp1@cdc.govWinkelsteinWJr, ReingoldAL. Alex Langmuir and CDC[letter]. Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:1619.17176594
In response: We thank Drs. Winkelstein and Reingold (1) for their comment regarding our article on the 60 years of CDC's progress in the area of infectious diseases. We certainly agree that Dr. Alexander Langmuir has made enormous contributions to this area, which we fully respect, We further agree that a more comprehensive approach would have required far more space than allotted for these types of commentaries. Allow us to emphasize that the omission of Dr. Langmuir and many other outstanding colleagues was not an oversight but an effort on our part to abbreviate an exceptionally long list of these deserving persons. We are looking forward to opportunities to provide a more comprehensive overview in which many of them will be appropriately recognized.
Suggested citation for this article: Popovic T. Alex Langmuir and CDC [response]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006 Oct [date cited]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1210.060851
ReferencesWinkelsteinWJr, ReingoldALAlex Langmuir and CDC[letter]Emerg Infect Dis. 2006;12:161917176594