Page 4
The Battalion
Thursday, December 8,1988
Plan reduces number
of Caesarean births
BOSTON (AP) — A hospital re
duced its Caesarean births to half
the national rate by requiring doc
tors to get second opinions and fol
low a few easy rules in a strategy that
could save more than $ 1 billion if ap
plied everywhere, its developers
said.
Caesarean sections are the most
common form of surgery in the
United States. Many medical experts
agree that physicians perform far
too many of them, but there is little
consensus on how to cut back.
The hospital set these rules:
• Except in emergencies, second
opinions must be obtained before all
Caesareans.
• Vaginal deliveries are pre
ferred for all patients who have un
dergone previous Caesareans.
The program, started at Chicago’s
Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Cen
ter, lowered the Caesarean rate from
17.5 percent of births to 11.5 per
cent over two years. Nationwide last
year, 24.4 percent of the 3.8 million
births were Caesarean deliveries.
“We lowered it not from 24 to 17
percent, but from 17 to 11 percent,
which is even harder to do,” said Dr.
Stephen A. Myers. “It’s like going on
a diet. The first five pounds are easy.
The last five pounds are tough.”
• Difficult birth is considered to
be an acceptable reason for a Caesa
rean only if a women fails to deliver
after two hours of strong, regular
uterine contractions.
• Fetal distress must be con
firmed by a blood sample drawn
from the fetus.
• Vaginal deliveries are recom
mended for nearly all breech births,
those in which the baby appears bot
tom first.
A report on the program, devel
oped by Myers and Dr. Norbert
Gleicher, was published in Thurs
day’s New England Journal of Medi
cine.
A peer review process was set up
to make sure that all doctors follow
the rules. Those who seem to be per
forming too many Caesareans are
notified, although no disciplinary ac
tion is taken.
The doctors estimated that if their
program were adopted by other hos
pitals, the United States could avoid
450,000 Caesareans nationally. Hos
pitals charge about $3,000 more for
Caesareans than for vaginal births.
Mrs. Bush eases tension
between rival first ladies
NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara
Bush injected a bit of levity Wednes
day into an exclusive U.N. luncheon
for sometime-rivals Raisa Gorbachev
and Nancy Reagan, putting the first
ladies at ease in their final official
meeting.
“It was very pleasant, very lovely,
lots of smiling,” said one of the lun
cheon guests in attendance — New
York Post gossip columnist Aileen
Mehle, better known as “Suzy.”
Marcela Perez de Cuellar, the wife
of the United Nations secretary-gen
eral, hosted the lunch at her posh
East Side home for the first ladies,
Mrs. Bush and 20 New York social
ites, including cosmetics manufac
turer Estee Lauder.
“I’m happy to be here in this city
you call ‘The Big Apple,”’ Mrs. Gor
bachev told reporters, saying the
words the big apple in English.
Aides to her husband, Soviet Presi
dent Mikhail S. Gorbachev, had said
he wanted to “take a bite out of the
Big Apple” during his three-day stay
here.
As photographers urged the first
ladies, Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Perez de
Cuellar to smile for pictures before
lunch, Mrs. Gorbachev said, “We
can’t see you. That’s why we don’t
smile.”
“How do you say ‘cheese’ in Rus
sian?” Mrs. Bush said as the four
women posed.
Mrs. Bush, using her good hu
mor, seemed intent on defusing any
problems at the gathering between
the two first ladies, who have had
their run-ins on previous occasions
in the past three years.
As the translator interpreted the
word “cheese” for Mrs. Gorbachev
and Mrs. Bush, the group broke out
in smiles and laughter.
The first ladies and the 20 women
Just a dream ....
Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack
In this scene from Wednesday night’s production of the musical
“Dreamgirls,” The Dreams, played by Lynette G. Dupre, Victoria
Jones and Lyn MacDonald, sing to a Cleveland audience just before
hitting it big and appearing on a television show. “Dreamgirls,” per
formed in Rudder Auditorium, was sponsored by MSC OPAS, Co
lombia Artists Management, Inc., Guber/Grose Productions, Inc. and
Candlelight Playhouse.
dined in an elegant room with a
marble fireplace, crystal chandelier
and tall windows overlooking the
East River. Each place was set with
crystal bearing the U.N. insignia and
at every place setting lay a small pre
sent wrapped in a peach bow.
A table seat plan showed Mrs.
Perez de Cuellar had put Mrs. Gor
bachev on her right and Mrs. Rea
gan on her left. Mrs. Bush was
seated next to Mrs. Gorbachev.
The two first ladies exchanged
verbal invitations with Mrs. Gorba
chev inviting the Reagans to the So
viet Union and Mrs. Reagan asking
the Soviet first couple to visit them in
California after they leave the White
House in January.
In the “very animated conversa
tion,” Mrs. Gorbachev discussed her
husband’s efforts to open Soviet so
ciety with his policy of glasnost and
she added that they would like to see
all nations opened, according to Ms.
Mehle.
Mrs. Reagan responded that the
United States was “indeed open,”
but the two women did not argue the
point, Mehle said.
//L
<&(£& <m<$<&<d
March 30 - April 2 r 198]
Texas A&M University
iillliSlgJL
Toastmaster Kerry O'Quinn
editor of STARLOG magazine
Special Guest Octavio Bute
Hugo Award winner in 1984 and 1985
Artist Guest Real Musgrave
official Texas Renaissance Festival Artist
Media Guest Richard Arnold
official STAR TREK archivist
Writer Guest George R. R. Martin
executive producer of Beauty And The Beast (CBS)
Comic Book Guest invited
over 20 regional guests to be announced
Art Show, Dealer's Room, Panels, Movies,
LazerTag, Gaming, Quest, Party Room. Video Room,
Masquerade Guest Reception & Ball,
Warren Norwood Charity Auction
1JV I UY 11‘1‘S ;
NON - STUDENTS STUDENTS
$12.00 Before March 1st $10.00
$15.00 After March 1st $12.00
$ 8.00 One Day Passes $ 6.00
Dealer's Room $ 50.00 per table
Quest $ 5.00 per person
Art Show $ 5.00 per artist
TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE AT THE MSC BOX OFFICE
AND AT ALL TICKETRON OUTLETS
For more information please write :
4^- Aggiecon 20 4i
tamu MV
Box J-1 - MSC
College Station, Tx. 77844
Produced by MSC Cepheid Variable
Scr?
Word Processing 101.
There is a grim reality of college
life that you may or may not be ac
quainted with: Typing.
No, make that hours of typing.
Precisely why you should consider a
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With a program like Microsoft
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paragraphs, and change type sizes and
styles with one finger. Which can
come in very handy. (Especially if
that's the way you type.)
And that's just one example of how
Macintosh helps students work
smarter, quicker, and more creatively.
The good news is, with Macintosh
you don't have to know anything about
computers to use one.
The better news is, right now Apple
Computer and the Micro Computer
Center are making it very easy for you
to own a Macintosh and Microsoft
Word.
Introducing Apple's Student
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For every college student who's short on
cash but long on academic ambition, Apple
presents the Student Loan-to-Own Program.
It's a low-interest loan plan unlike any
other. In fact, you can take advantage of it
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receiving financial aid.
There is no collateral required, no application fee, no interview, and no need to
prove financial hardship. No kidding.
You can pickup the details about the Student Loan-to-Own Program by
visiting the Micro Computer Center inside the Texas A&M Bookstore, or by calling
1-800-831-LOAN.
Introducing the Micro Computer
Center's Holiday Special ,
To make sure you're ready to go when you get your Macintosh, the Micro
Computer Center is offering you a special deal. From December 5, while supplies
last, Macintosh Plus and SE computers are being bundled with Microsoft Word and
a Macintosh carrying case at the following prices.
Computer w/MS Word & carrying case Price
Macintosh Plus, 1 floppy disk drive $1,242.00
Macintosh SE, 2 floppy disk drives 2,103.00
Macintosh SE, 1 floppy disk drive, 20MB HD 2,625.00
M icroComputerCenter
Computer Sales and Supplies
Located at the MSC inside the Texas A&M Bookstore
Monday thru Friday 7:45AM - 6:00PM
Saturday 9:00AM - 5:00PM
(409) 845-4081