Thursday, September 27, 1984/The Battalion/Page 3
Young get arthritis, too
By TRACY PROBST
Reporter
Arthritis, the nation’s number one
crippling disease, affects one out of
every seven people. It is known for
afflicting older people, but also is
found in young adults and children,
said Donna Rogers of the Arthritis
Foundation.
Rogers said people often have the
misconception that arthritis is only
an old-age disease. Young adults
and children get it as frequently as
older people, she said.
Rogers, who works with the Texas
Gulf Coast Chapter in Houston, said
there are 101 different classifica
tions of arthritis, although ankylos
ing spondylitis and rheumatoid ar
thritis are the most prevalent in
young adults.
Dr. Sonja Ceerling, professor of
human pathology at the Texas A&M
College of Medicine, said ankylosing
spondylitis is “common, particularly
in younger men.” This form of ar
thritis affects the bones in the base of
the spine. The bones may actually
become fused together, she said.
Mild, early morning stiffness in
the back is a symptom of ankylosing
spondylitis, Geerling said.
Young women with arthritis are
usually affected by rheumatoid ar
thritis, the pathologist said. This
form causes chronic inflammation of
the joints, usually in the hands and
wrists. Fusion of the bones may oc
cur, causing disfiguration, she said.
In both ankylosing spondylitis
and rheumatoid arthritis, “the actual
joint tissue itself inflames and the
joint thickens, thus making
movement painful,” she said. The
rubbing of bone against bone also
causes discomfort, she said.
Arthritis also causes “fever,
changes in the blood, inflammation
of eyes and intestinal tracts and atro
phy of muscles,” Geerling said.
Geerling said even though arthri
tis is not hereditary, there is a “fami
liar trend that family members may
have increased instances.” She said
some kinds of arthritis “are asso
ciated with complex gene makeup,
particularly ankylosing spondylitis.”
Treatments of these diseases be
gin with exercise and therapy. Doc
tors then like to give mild analgesics,
such as aspirin, which is extremely
effective, Geerling said.
“Treatment should start out as
minimal as possible,” she said.
Geerling suggests that an arthritic
joint be kept moving, however, an
acutely inflamed joint requires rest.
Gortisone and other steroids can
be taken to reduce the inflammation
in a joint, but side effects may occur,
she said.
Geerling also suggested to keep
inflamed joints warm.
“Improvement might not be due
to treatment,” she said. Arthritis of
ten goes into remission, which is a
temporary relief of pain.
“Younger people are more likely
to have complete remission,” she
said.
Remission doesn’t occur as fre
quently in older people who suffer
from osteoarthritis, which causes de
generative changes in the joints, es
pecially in the legs and hips.
Degenerative arthritis also can oc
cur in a joint that has been broken or
injured.
Calls combat game thieves
ByDIB WALDRIP
Reporter
Operation Game Thief, a pro
gram designed to combat illegal
hunting and fishing practices in
Texas, has produced 532 arrests
in the past 36 months, Capt. Stan
ley Brooks, coordinator of Oper
ation Game Thief, said Tuesday.
Convictions from the arrests
have produced more than
$114,000 in fines and $24,350 in
rewards paid to 133 informers,
Brooks said. One out of every 10
calls results in an arrest, he said.
Hope here
University News Service
Tickets for Bob Hope’s Oct. 5
performance at Texas A&M will
go on sale Friday, Sept. 2S at the
MSG Box Office in Rudder
Tower.
Tickets will be $ 1 I and $ 12.50.
Hope’s concert will be at 8 p.m.
in G. Rollie White Goliseurn Oct.
5.
Since starting in October 1981,
the program has received 2,400
calls. The conviction rate for ar
rests through the program is
more than 99 percent, he said.
“Success of the program de
pends on public participation,”
Brooks said. '
“Success has been astronomi
cal.”
Operation Game Thief has a
toll-free telephone number for
citizens who witness illegal hunt
ing or fishing practices. The
number is 1-800-792-GAME.
Callers can remain anonymous,
and they are given a code number
for identification. Brooks said.
Calls about a hunting or fish
ing crime in progress are trans
ferred immediately to a game
warden nearby. Brooks said. If an
arrest is made, informers are eli
gible for a reward, he said.
The program is governed by a
six-member commission ap
pointed by the executive director
of the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department. The six commis
sioners are private citizens from
around the state who determine
the reward amounts by the se
riousness of the crime, he said.
Fifty-five percent of the calls
dealt with illegal hunting prac
tices and 32 percent with illegal
fishing practices, Brooks said.
The other 13 percent of the calls
dealt with illegal shrimping, fur
trapping, killing of endangered
animals and penal code viola
tions.
Any time illegal game is found
in the possession of hunters or
fishers, the meat or fish is confis
cated and given directly to or
phan homes, old-age homes or
other institutions for the needy,
he said. Thousands of pounds of
meat are given away each year, he
said.
No accurate study has been
done on the number of animals
killed illegally in Texas, Brooks
said, since not all of the violators
are caught.
The New Mexico Game and
Fish Department estimated that
more game was killed illegally
than legally in New Mexico, he
said. Brooks said he hopes the
same is not true for Texas.
Photo by CHRISTINE COCHRAN
Showers for flowers
A grounds maintenance employee sprays a flower bed by the back of the Coke building.
Unusual wildlife attracts ‘cavers’
By MARYBETH ROHSNER
Reporter
Question: What wears a carbide
lamp on his head, climbs rocks seve
ral hundred feet under the the
earth’s surface, and whoops in dark,
damp places?
Answer: A member of the Aggie
Speleological Society, otherwise
known as a “caver.”
“Speleology is just another word
for caving,” club chairman Jim
Mueller says. Members have a com
mon interest — cave exploring.
Cqving brings different rewards
for everyone, Mueller said. The ad
venture of exploration attracts some.
Others take advantage of the unique
photographic opportunities and oth
ers examine unusual wildlife.
“You find some strange looking
animals in caves, like blind salaman
ders and blind catfish,” Mueller said.
Though the club met for the first
time Wednesday night, a few club
members are experienced cavers.
Mueller and others explored New
Mexico caves last year through Out
door Recreation. Some practice rap
pelling at the Texas A&M Fireman
Training School’s tower.
The club is planning several week
end trips to the Edwards Plateau, as
well as an expedition to Mexico with
the University of Texas Speleologi
cal Society.
“New Mexico and Mexico have
the prime caves,” Mueller said.
Mueller said he encourages begin
ning cavers to get involved with the
club.
“It’s not like we’re going to say
‘O.K., try to keep up. See you later.’
We’ll take care of you,” he said.
You’re about to make a very impor
tant decision. Where should you begin
your engineering career? You want to
be challenged and work in a stimulat
ing environment. You want to work
fora company that will recognize your
contributions.
Where will you go? A good choice
would be Martin Marietta Denver
Aerospace.
Martin Marietta’s matrix organiza
tion will provide you unusual flexibility
in determining your career path and
accomplishing your personal goals.
Here, your talents will be recognized.
Your contributions will be rewarded.
In addition, you'll often be chal
lenged by some of the most interesting
assignments available in space and
defense systems.
For example, we accepted NASA’s
challenge to design and develop a
backpack propulsion system which
would accurately and safely move
astronauts through space without the
use of a tether. Fifteen years later, on
February/, 1984, the Manned Maneu
vering Unit was successfully tested.
This paved the way for the Solar Max,
repair mission in April ’84. Future
applications of the MMU are now
being considered.
The MMU is just one of many
responsibilities we have on the Space
Shuttle program. And the Shuttle
program is one of hundreds of long
term projects you may experience at
Martin Marietta Aerospace.
We also have opportunities avail
able in Baltimore, Maryland; Orlando,
Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; and
at Vandenberg AFB on the central
California coast.
Now that you're about to step out
into the world, consider an engineer
ing career at Martin Marietta Denver
Aerospace.
See our representative on
campus October 8
After interviewing with our repre
sentative, pick up our full color
calendar poster of the Manned
Maneuvering Unit (pictured here).
If unable to interview at this time,
please send your resume to: Martin
Marietta Denver Aerospace, College
Relations Department, P.0. Box 179,
Mai! #L1312, Denver, CO 80201.
Martin Marietta is an Affirmative
Action Employer actively seeking the
Flandicapped and Veteran.
U.S. Citizenship is required.
GRADUATING ENGINEERS,
WHEN YOU STEP OUT INTO
THE WORLD,
YOU’LL WANT TO WORK
WITH THE BEST
TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE.