i
State
, THE BATTALION
; WEDNESDAY JANUARY IS. II
Pag# 11
Limb reattachment .
successful, doctor says
HOUSTON — Doctors at Hermann Hospital
were optimistic Tuesday that an 11-year-old boy
would regain partial use of his leg, which was
severed and reattached during 18 hours of
Kirk Sapp, of Heame. lost his right leg near the
hip and left foot last Wednesday when he tried to
climb across the coupling between two railroad
cars on a Southern Pacific coal train.
The boy was immediately flown to the Her*
mann Hospital and Dr. John Bums led a nine-
member hospital team in a 18-hour operation to
reattach the boy’s right leg
The boy s foot could not be reattached because
it was crushed by the train.
Kirk is awake and alert and is responding to
conversation with his family and doctors," hospit
al spokeswoman Susan Fox said
“The boy s uncle and aunt have been with him
since the accident on Jan 6. His doctors say
because of his age, Kirk has a reasonable chance of
regaining some use of his leg but full use of the
hmb is not expected
The boy s condition since the surgery has been
listed as stable Bums said he would not know
until Jan 20 whether the operation succeede^^
The two weeks following surgery are criticflB
and at this point we are pleased with the prog
ress," Bums said "Many things can go wrong.
but we are hoping they will not go wrong ”
At a news conference Monaay, Bums ex
plained the surgery and noted the proper care
and transportation of severed limbs, are para
mount as the initial step to successful surgery to
reattach the limbs
But before anv surgery can be done, the se
vered limb, hand or foot must be properly trans
ferred from the site of the accident to the hospital
and maintained at a proper tempetature, he said.
For example. Bums said, if a hind is cut off, it
should be picked up, cleaned aad placed in a
dean, dry plastic bag. The bag should be sealed
and kept cool in a bucket containing ice cubes
He said no solutions such as alcohol or saline
— should be put on or near the Imb.
‘Too often they put a solution to keep it clean,
but that makes the ensuing surgery difficult.’’
Bums said. The limb should be reattached within
six hours of dismemberment for the surgery to
have a chance for success
He said limbs that are cut ot~ rather than
crushed or mutilated, are easier t*> reattach.
"Replacing a limb doesn't mak^ it a workable
limb. Bums said 'Thai is only reattaching it. It s
a long process and people should imderstand it is
such a process.’’
He said most patients need nlore than one
operation before the limb becomes functional
Agriculture ‘81: stormy
t'nrted Pren In tr me Haul
Texas agriculture officials are
giving mixed reviews to 19NI —a
year that began favorably but soon
fell victim to the whiitfs of Texas
weather
Bill Braden, a spokesman with
the Texas Agricultural Extension
Service, said agriculture officials
were hopeful at the start of 1881.
After a drought the year be
fore. 1981 began favorably
enough, Braden said. “The win
ter was mild, and spring rains
came with regularity over the
state. And ranchers in western
parts of the Lone Star State found
the grazing conditions the best in
25 years.”
But problems set in.
Flood waters in parts of north
central and west central Texas, the
Hill Country and the Coastal
Bend resulted in the loss of lives
tock, he said The same late sum
mer and fall flooding damaged
heavy livestock and poultry and
hurt cotton and peanut plants
Worst hit were the northern
counties of the Coastal Bend
where almost 20 inches of rain fell
and drowned thousands of
chickens.
He said some south Texas far
mers, stung by a combination of
were forced to replant By tlie end
of the year it was clear that cotton
and soybean crops along the upper
coast were largely a loss.
Baled cotton and cotton in
■nodules also was k»st in the Coas
tal Bend." Braden said “Fall rains
over much of the plains-and west
ern areas also delayed cotton
maturity, but a later than normal
killing frost helped counter the
problem."
South Texas cattle also were hit
by brucellosis, an infectious dis
ease In west Texas some livestock
dic'd because of grazing poisonous
range plants. Additionally, cotton
root rot, a severe disease during
wet years, took a heavy toll of the
crop in the central Texas black-
lands where cotton is most preva
lent. laMses ranged from 15 to 30
percent.
He said farmers who survived
the excessive rain and poisonous
plants had more troubles at the
market. Finally, in the middle of
e ear, prices began climbing,
be gains were only nidtkand
lived The sluggish market
affected l>oth meat and grain pro
ducers.
Desjrtte the* rains and diseases,
Texas farmers harvested record
yic*|ds of wheat, com and grain bute the low market prices for
sorghum and better-than-average Texas agricultural goods kt 1981 to
yields of cotton, rice, peanuts and oversupply and already-filled
mo# other crops warehouses
Braden said state officials attri-
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Attorney asks court
to delay filing date
AUSTIN — The attorney for
the plaintiffs in a congressional re-
chstneting suit has asked a federal
court to move back thF Feb. 1
deadline for filing in congressional
races 9
Dave Richards, attorney for
plaintiffs who filed suit in federal
court challenging the validity of
the new conjpressional districts,
filed a motion Monday asking the
court to delay the filing deadline
Richards said it is unlikely the
U.S. Department of Justice will
dear the redistricting plan under
the Voting Rights Act before Feb.
1, and the court has said it will not
rule until after the Justice Depart
ment acts on the plan.
Although Richards motion ap
plies only to the congressional re-
thstnctmg plan, another trial be
gins in Dallas Monday challenging
the House and Senate reappor
tionments. and the filing deadline
for those offices also may be de
layed
Official resigns after
* , f <
harassment charges
P'tvsb Iwtci mmImwhI
AMARILLO — Potter County s self-described “friendly, affection
ate treasurer has been asked to resign his post because of allegations
of sexual harassment
The Amarillo Globe-News reported Monday that long-time County
Treasurer Al Whitaker was asked by County Judge Cliff Roberts and
Commissioner Pat Cunningham to resign after charges of sexual
harassment by women employees at the courthouse
Roberts and Cunningham told the 73-year-old Whitaker to resign
last ^ week or they would make public the sexual harassment com
plaints. the paper said
Whitaker, wno refused to resign and denied the allegations, recent
ly announced his intentions to run for re-election.
The Globe-News reported it had obtained affidavits from two
women and had spoken to a third woman about the sexual harassment
complaints The charges included a touching incident and offers of gifts
in return far sexual favors
Roberts told the newspaper the problems were ongoing but that he
had'Slot been willing to publicize the matter at this time.
But when asked bv the newspaper if he had asked Whitaker to
resign. Roberts said. “1 had to admit it was true — that Al (Whitaker)
hod been asked to resign in the best interests of Potter County and
himself "
Whitaker, who has served as county treasurer for 13 years, told the
newspaper he had nothing to hide
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