A Letter From The Publisher: Nov. 17, 1961

THOSE odd-shaped objects in the background of this week’s TIME cover are viruses—magnified more than 50,000 times and reproduced in their actual shape by machine and man. The viruses, which are measured in millionths of an inch, were first photographed by an electron microscope that produces an enlarged image of minute particles through the use of a beam of electrons. Working from electron-micrograph prints, Artist Bernard Safran enlarged the viruses somewhat more to obtain the proper effect for the cover. Among those he chose to use, the sticklike viruses at upper left are the tobacco mosaic virus, which figured importantly in early virological discoveries made in the 19th century; the smaller, pellet-shaped viruses at the upper right are polio; the four at the lower right are influenza.

IN painting this and other covers for TIME (this is his 26th), Painter Safran did some laboratory work of his own. Borrowing a technique from the old masters (the general idea is described in The Secret Formulas and Techniques of the Masters, by Jacques Maroger), Safran mixes his own medium. He whips up a potion of raw linseed oil, litharge (lead monoxide) and natural sun-bleached beeswax, and cooks it over a slow fire for two hours, stirring often and being careful that it does not boil. He then stores the product, which is called black oil and looks like axle grease, in old mayonnaise jars. When he is ready to paint, he mixes each pigment he is using with black oil on the palette. Then in a palette cup he stirs up another mixture of (one teaspoon each) mastic varnish and black oil, and a few drops of stand oil and Venice turpentine. At work, he dips his brush first into the mixture in the palette cup and then into the mixture on the palette. Why all this trouble? Safran finds this medium more versatile and easier to work with —and most important, “it makes the painting richer, more alive.”

While Safran was stirring his paint and laboring over his canvas, Associate Editor Gilbert Cant and Researcher Jean Bergerud, as well as 17 TIME correspondents around the U.S., were visiting laboratories and quizzing virologists to put together the cover story. Touring a virus and vaccine laboratory, Medicine Writer Cant donated five milliliters of blood for testing, later found that he was low on polio antibody, was persuaded to take a swig of oral polio vaccine. After Writer Cant and Senior Editor William Forbis had put the final touches on the cover story about Virologist John Enders* and medicine’s battle against viruses, they reported feeling some new symptoms—probably attributable to their added knowledge, but nothing that could not be overcome by a restful weekend.

* This is John Enders’ second appearance this year on TIME’S cover. The first: on the issue of Jan. 2, when he was one of 15 Men of the Year, representing U.S. scientists.