1953-1954 and offshoots from the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases. Biologics Control
later became part of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Certain traditions transferred from the Hygienic Laboratory to the new research
quarters in Bethesda. There was a general atmosphere of collegiality with free discussion
of ideas among the investigators working on their various projects. One of the customs
that persisted was the lunchtime gathering of the laboratory members for relaxation and
nourishment of body and mind. There was animated discussion, primarily of current
events and all shades of political opinion. Religion and the Civil War (War Between the
States) were generally avoided. The participants carried their lunches in brown paper
bags or, more commonly, in metal lunch boxes equipped with thermos bottles. Dr.
Armstrong ate with the group frequently. He had an 18-acre property on Montrose Road
in Rockville, Maryland where he grew fruits and vegetables. In season he brought to the
luncheon table the largest most delicious strawberries that he distributed to the group; he
also provided other homegrown products to some of the laboratory helpers. (A list of the
frequent lunch attendees, the “Luncheon Group,” is included in Appendix C.) The
luncheon group was extensive when the author arrived in August 1948 to begin work in
Building No. 7; later, however, the space for the lunchtime gathering became lost in the
1950s when space became a problem with the expansion of the respiratory virus studies
and the arrival of new personnel. The lunchroom was divided into small cubicles for the
secretaries and offices for the new investigators.
On October 27, 1946 (41), Dr. Charles Armstrong officiated at the formal
dedication of Building No. 7, The Memorial Laboratory, for the study of infectious