Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 1978)
.anMiiiiiniv: 1 !'-/! Wit DBBHnUBnm ish can ^regenerate pinal cords 'hat can goldfish do that we hu- s can’t? ell, they can live underwater, ggs and regenerate a new spinal if theirs is severed. The mystery of why fish, amphi- and lower animals can do this hile mammals can not is being ;udied at Texas A&M University’s liege of Medicine. Anatomy researcher John Gel- terr 3erd is looking at this phenomenon in hopes that his basic research may ;ural : one day help humans who have arm been paralyzed by spinal cord in- s AtftBfs. trd (fBpelderd says finding out why the , a, goldfish have this characteristic may caiise|el him why mammals don’t. That )ad; information could lead to methods of returning nerve function to tin paralyzed humans, lid a file also wants to learn if this re- neailgeheration power is restricted to be specific areas of the brain or is gen eral to all brain cells, int^Bn the study, fish with transected ly s , spinal cords have regenerated cut aers^axlns that lead from the brain Hhin 30 to 45 days and have a full e eos|jre|urn of function. Observers may id t have difficulty telling the research indi^subject from his tankmates, Gelderd ton, said ipmeilfi 6 ! medium-sized sharks that he studied in Florida don’t seem to This trip the best, students say THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1978 Page 9 Tour leaves children spellbound m soi bale the recuperative ability. Goldfish and other animals can regenerate a severed spinal cord, but mammals cannot. Texas A&M medical researcher John Gelderd is using his/fish to try to find out why. He hopes to benefit paralyzed humans through his studies. ie Sousing law could influence Upgrading of urban dwellings United Press International GREELEY, Colo. — “There’s nothing here to frighten you in any way,” the undertaker told the chil dren. It was a sunny spring morning and the sixth and seventh graders of Chappelow Middle School were in the Adamson Mortuary on a field trip. They filed into the wooden pews of the mortuary’s chapel: fidgeting, chewing gum and whispering among themselves. Tm a licensed funeral director, Bob Hansberry was saying at the podium. “The casket is placed on this bier between the lamps. The rustling continued in the pews, and a girl in the second row fooled with her hair. Hansberry was explaining the practical details of death: “The. hos pital calls us, gives us the ward and floor — we immediately send a man to pick up the body. It’s brought back here and embalmed. “Embalming is a process of disin fection, preservation and restora tion,” Hansberry said. “Decomposi tion starts immediately after death. In restoration, we try to make the body as lifelike as possible. We try to give the family — in an old mortuary term — a good memory picture. “ Any questions?’ he asked. Very few at this point. Off they went to the mortuary’s business office for some talk of death ertificates and burial permits. “There’s quite a bit of govern ment paperwork involved, the un dertaker said. Still no questions from the kids. Up a flight of stairs, and the kids were at the door of the casket dis play room. “If there’s anybody who doesn’t want to go in there, that’s fine,’ said Hansberry. Not a sound from the students. “There are basi cally four types of caskets: cloth- covered wood, hardwood, and the sealing and non-sealing metals,’ the mortician said amidst the coffins. The kids spread out among the coffins like adults in a used car lot. Hansberry kept talking: “The prices you see on the caskets are not just for the casket. They include all service charges.” The questions came quickly now: “Why do you put pillows and blankets in here?” asked one small boy. “Humm, nobody ever asked that before,” said Hansberry. “They’re made to look similar to a bed. “Do they make caskets for babies?” said a tiny voice from the group. “Yes, they’re upstairs,” answered Hansberry. “Would you like to see them?” “Yeah, came the collective re sponse, the first sign of intense interest. “What is this about?” said an adult in the crowd. “Well, a lot of them have little brothers and sisters,” said Gary Col ley, a health teacher who coordi- rod A federal housing law passed last imal ear could have a sweeping influ- Foret n ce in gutting the squalor of urban dinS jpusing through use of modular or lift a i lohile housing. (host Uts effect on American housing to l roblems will be dramatic, if build- provi 'g codes can be changed and dec- fuesdaiffis °f stigmas, as attached to living dthatja mobile home can be lifted, a xirtet, iexas A&M University researcher e gnu pd. lere i In 1949, Congress passed a bill 1 Gal tl0wn as ^e Housing Act. The law depart©jmsed a d ecen t home for every d Gj Jncrican family.” roecrIP 1 Alice Stubbs, who heads the [S 12i exas Consumer Research Center at t 0 [: exas A&M, observes that not until •■e offi? was one of the most sweeping fies of legislation in recent years clear Congress. he legislation is the Housing and mmunity Development Act of J7 and, among its provisions, it Bes the loan limit for FHA in- ed mobile homes. Before 1977, it -was not possible „j S ,ll_ buyers to receive long-term s for a mobile home. A mobile ble”(«F ne ’ n the P as t was set U P much an auto installment loan. Mhe new law raised the loan rate ( l t| flowing for larger homes that 'Dailies with children often need more time to pay the note, obile homes are considered one the most economically effective using alternatives in the market |ay for the lower middle income sumer, Stubbs said. Rapid infla- ion has in effect moved conven- al homes right out of the reach any people, Walter L. Benning, president of Manufactured Housing Institute in Virginia, indicates the av- ;e retail for a mobile home was ,750 in 1976. That same year the rage sales price for a residential e was $44,200. The gap is in using. Also, most of the new mobile well off . “While modules are currently used to some degree, the full poten tial of the production and speed pos sible with modular construction will not be realized until local building codes and union restrictions are modified to recognize its inevitabil ity,” the MHI spokesman said. With the 1949 Housing Act, and later the Housing and Urban De velopment Act of 1968, a goal was set to construct or rehabilitate 26 million housing units. Six million of which would provide housing or low and moderate income families, Stubbs said. Still the shelter prob lem has never reversed itself. When earlier solutions were posed, it was presumed they would provide not only adequate housing, but a solution to social problems,” said Stubbs, who has been involved in consumer research since gradua tion from the University of Texas in 1938. “They wanted answers for better health, a more stable family struc ture, improved self concept, higher achievement, greater job security and even greater life satisfaction,” she said. It just didn’t turn out that way. “The solutions to the problems of low income housing have centered on the symptoms rather than the causes of the condition,” Stubbs said. nates the school’s field trips. Up another flight of stairs, the kids squeezed into a small room filled with tiny, white, cloth- covered coffins. “We stock baby caskets from two feet to three feet,” Hansberry said. “And we have one SVa feet long.” “Follow me downstairs to the embalming room,” Hansberry said. “Tm not going in there,” said a boy with glasses. “Chicken,” said his friend. In front of another door, Hansberry again offered the kids a chance to sit it out. No takers. “This is our preparation room,” he said. “We can embalm two bodies at the same time. The tables are stainless steel. This is our em balming machine; it’s a stainless steel tank and a pump. The blocks are for holding the head in position. After death, there is no muscle tone. The body is limp, and it has to be held in position.” The kids stared, and several girls clutched their large plastic combs with both hands. Someone acci dently kicked a trash container, and the children started. Hansberry held up a brown plas tic container. “This is 15 percent formaldehyde. We dilute it with eight ounces to a gallon of water. That makes it IV2 percent formaldehyde solution. We use the same circulation system the body normally uses. He pointed to his neck. “We in ject into the carrotid the embalming wmwm. fluid. This goes around the body and comes out the jugular vein. There are six points where we shoot into the body. A good embalmer hopes he won’t have to shoot more than one point, but sometimes you do.” A blonde girl, Tammy Warehime, 14, noticed a block and tackle affixed to the ceiling. “What’s that for?” she asked. “That’s for very heavy bodies, answered Hansberry. “What if somebody got cut up real bad in a car accident?” asked a boy. Hansberry reached in a cabinet for a tin of fleshcolored, soft wax. “We can build ears, noses — in mortuary school we had to build complete faces,” he said. In time, he led them through a door opening into the garage, where parked was a hearse of unexpected brightness, a strange mixture of gleaming tan and gold. “I thought they were black, said one child. “The trouble with black is they’re hard to keep clean,” said the under taker. “Why do they drive slow?” asked a girl in a green sweater. “It’s a matter of respect, Hansberry said. “Years ago, when they used horse-drawn coaches, the family would walk behind, and that’s where it started.” At the door, one small boy looked back at the hearse. “I thought they used black because they were sad, he said to his friend. a/rf CULPEPPER PLAZA Have your ears / pierced with 24k gold-plated studs by CORD ovincej Mines are sold fully equipped, in- tlieir ,1 . lading major appliances, furniture, 1111 Iraperies and carpeting. It aids . those who cannot afford the added > 1 ? v j Mst initially., ^jlThe capability exists for fixed site rs iir ) townhouses, rowhouses and Juplexes—even highrise buildings- to be built from manufactured units S4 3r modules, Benning said. “But elites da\ Benning said. iys of the mobile units being a part of the urban housing system Mama's Pizza) NOW DELIVERS DAILY 11 AM - 11 PM PIZZA, SPAGHETTI, LASAGNA, SALADS, AND DRINKS ; ($5.00 MINIMUM) Thursday, Friday and Saturday only It'll open up u whole new world of fashion fun for you. Our trained personnel will insert the studs painlessly in a matter of seconds, and >011 just wear your new earrings home! T he studs are. made of surgical grade steel plated with 24K gold, the most non-allergenic earrings made. Have your ears pierced and start your earring collection at a special value price 807 TEXAS AVE. 846-3380 WALTON STAINED GLASS STUDIO Announces new classes beginning week of June 5th Classes last 6 weeks, 3 hours/week Morning classes 10-1 Afternoon classes 2-5 Evening classes 7-10 Class Fee $20 $5 discount to Aggies Formerly Bolton Stained Glass Call for classes 846-4156 3810 Texas Ave. Bryan NEW FOR SUMMER — YOUTH CLASSES Ages 12 - 18 years old • One week sessions Cost $30 for class fee & supplies (excluding glass.) One Week Sessions «! WALTON June 12-16 19-23 26-30 July 10-14 17-21 24-28 August 7-11 14-18 Commission work done upon request •5 Has It All! ‘Bryan-College Station’s most complete architecture & engineering supply store. 1 ART SPECIAL STUDENT RATES ON PRINTING Matt Board Foam Board Paints Balsa Woods PRINTING > Blue Lines > Black Lines > Sepias DRAFTING • T-Squares • Tracing Paper • Yellow Sketch Paper • Drawing Boards & Tables TEXAS ASM UNIVERSITY LAMAR ST We have complete EDG kits. Summer Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Engineering & Office Supply 1412 TEXAS AVE. Redmond Terrace Mall - College Station 693-9553