The Ottawa Herald from Ottawa, Kansas • Page 17

I TANK FULL OF SILICONS, designed by Drl Frank Gerow for victims of bad burns, coats the burns against air, prevents infection and speeds the time in which grafting can begin. A young man demonstrates position of a patient's body in the tank. By Ralph Dighton Associated Press Science Writer The shock of losing almost a third of her skin was wearing off. Moaning in agony, the 32-year-old woman, victim of a kitchen stove explosion, muttered through clenched teeth: "Yes, I'll sign only help me." She scrawled her name on a waiver and thereby authorized an cal examination of her burns, experiment that saved her weeks she begged: "Put me back in the of excruciating pain, perhaps tank." even saved her life. That was the closest the hor- Taken minutes later to a spe- ribly burned woman came to pain cial room in Baylor Hospital in in the entire 16 days a time Houston, she was immersed to when strong men similarly seared the neck in a bathtub-like tank have pleaded, "Let me die," as thai was to be virtually an all- they waited for charred skin to protective womb for the next 16 slough off so grafting could days.

Inside "She took only three aspirins the tank was a new "dry liquid" silicone compound during the entire period," says that coated her burns against the her physician, "and that was for air, prevented infection, buoyed headache." her unbandaged, unclothed body almost weightless on a padded rack. She could move without fear of rolling her weight on a burn, never developed a bed sore. Once, when removed for medi- Even more significant is the fact that grafting of skin on her legs, hips, chest, hands and feet began on the 18th day. In conventionally treated burn cases, this cannot be started until the fourth, fifth or sixth week. The woman's skin grafts "took" quickly, she'recovered and today her scars are clean and smooth with little of the ridged and twisted tissue characteristic of extensive bums.

Dr. Frank Oerow, 34-year-old plastic surgeon at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, reported the case at a recent of the American College of Surgeons in San Francisco. Not in General Use His treatment is frankly experimental and requires much more testing before it will be made available to general practice. But, Dr. Gerow believes, it not only offers new hope for burn victims it may have application, through a unique system of patient-temperature control, in the infant science of anesthesia through freezing.

Looking far down the road, Dr. Gerow says he also is studying possible use of silicone-filled tanks to cushion space travelers against the stress of acceleration during rocket blast-off. "I designed the silicone fluid to have about the specific gravity of water enough to provide body support without making the patient float," he said in an interview. "But it certainly would be possible to change the fluid so the subject would be completely weightless, and thus unaffected by acceleration. "And the fact that the silicone is not support the growth of bacteria could offer a way of delivering astronauts to other planets and bringing them back with no danger of germ contamination at either end of the journey.

"We haven't tried these things still in the thinking stage but they may well be worth exploring with this modality." Experiments with Slticones Dr. Gerow first became familiar with the properties of silicones in developing, as an intern in Houston, a plastic restoration for breasts after surgery. Later, in hunting a better fluid in which to support bum victims water shrivels tissue and encourages bacteria growth he thought again of silicones. He ordered a compound specifically, di-methyl polysiloxane, an oily feeling almost colorless substance sometimes used as a to his specifications and began experimenting with Then he ran into trouble. The silicone fluid was "dry" in that it contained no germ- feeding to start with, but it soon picked up water and other contaminants from body wastes.

The fluid would have to be circulated and filtered. Dr. Gerow tried several medical supply houses and was told, "It can't be done." Finally he appealed to a swimming pool equipment dealer, who relayed the request to the company's headquarters in El Monte, Calif. There it went to the desk of William O. Baker, who as president of Swimquip supervises a continuing research in circulation and filtration for swimming pools and industrial plants.

"I remembered seeing a cousin of mine suffer through two years in the hospital getting over a bad burn," Baker recalls. "I went to work." It wasn't as easy as Baker first thought. The liquid had to be piped through diatomaceous earth, to filter out water and bacteria down to .2 of a. micron and through carbon for removal of odors. By the time this was worked out, he faced another problem: the silicone fluid, much like penetrating oil, leaked through threaded pipe joints.

The answer was welded tubing. After two years of research on Dr. Gerow's project. Baker today says: "I think we've got it whipped. There will be im- piovements as we go along, but the Houston case proves the system works." Baker, a wealthy industrial" ist, the project has been an expensive philanthropy.

about $200,000 out of pocket so far," he says, "and it will be another year or so before we could go into commercial production of the units. It may never make any money, but it will be worth the cost if it saves 'one life." Probably $500 per Patient Despite the development cost, Dr. Gerow figures the treatment eventually will have a substantially lower price tag than current methods. "We expect the unit will run around $12,000," he says, "plus another $3,000 for the 150 gallons of silicone in the tank and filter system. "Because the silicone can be used over and over again by reprocessing it after each patient, the unit probably would amortize itself at about $500 per patient.

And its simplicity means there 'the ages arid $6 forth staff requirements An exttemely current treatment is the awaiy of charred tissue' replaced by This is eliminated by ti treatment. Dr. Oerow ha that a jet of silicone', playe 'the skin through a tttfz zle, sloughs off the burned Hts" sue just as effectively -r- without pain. Dr. Gerow says three people? have been in the tank so The burned woman was the Later a medical student volunteered to spend 14 days in the silicone bath for refinement of procedures.

The third was Aft elderly man whose severe bums had, become badly infected during conventional treatment. OTTAWA HERALD 17 Monday, January 27, 1964 Soil Conservation Methods Furnish the Right Answer For You Who QUALITY PLUS VALUE don't make a move until you have seen BURCH'FARM MACHINERY Manufactured with Quick Adjustable Spring Trip or Spring Teeth Gangs. We would like the opportunity to prove to you, that you need not pay a big price to own the best farm machinery money can buy. The finest steel available goes into the manufacturing at "BURCH" Farm machinery. 96 years of know-how guarantees you we have built a quality product at a great savings to you.

Plus) a direct factory-dealer setup which eliminates the middleman's charges such as distributors, branch houses, warehouses, etc. This enables the "BURCH" Plow Works to furnish you the finest farm machinery at a much lower cost! Ask a "BURCH" owner or any of the following Missouri dealers. (Kansas dealers appeared in first ad). Appleton City Kreissler ImpL Bethany Chapman Impl. Bolivar Butler Tractor Co.

Buffalo Brandel.Mdntire Co. Cameron Snell Pitts ImpL Carrollton Griffin Farm Equip. Carthage Rhodes Tractor Co. Cassville Hailey Tractor Co. Chlllicothe Kaye Impl.

Co. Clinton Golden Valley Ford Cowgill Ensign Tractor Co. Emma Dittman Farm Equip. Excelsior Springs Wollard Hamilton Hamlet Impl. Co.

Harrisonville G. G. Tract. Co. Liberty Armstrong Tractor Co.

Lockwood Schilling Farm Marshall Whitlock Impl. Co. Mt. Vernon Mt. Vernon Impl.

Neosho Hailey Bros Tractor Princeton Trainer Impl. Co. Plneville Wilson Tractor Co. Sedalia Stevenson Tract. Co.

Springfield Massey.Ferguson Stockton Pyle Tractor Co. St. Joseph Farmers Equip. Trenton Carr ImpL Co. Vista Tom Lowry ImpL Co.

Williamsburg Barnes Impl. Plattsburg Don's Tractor Lancaster Huntsman Equip. Columbia George Russell Moberly Braymen Tractor Warsaw Andy's Tractor Co. West Plains Tooley ImpL Willow Springs Parker.Tooley "There Is No Substitute For Quality- Especially When It Costs ARTHUR DENNIS, Factory Representative Ottawa, Kansas Phone CH 2-2433 We Wish to Congratulate The 1964 Award Winning Families: Mr. Mrs.

Jack Beauchamp Rt. 3, Ottawa, Kansas Mr. Edgar Sites Rt. 1, Ottawa, Kansas Mr. Mrs.

Pete Wiseman Wellsville, Kansas We feel that special recognition should be extended to the personnel of the local Soil Conservation Offices for the conscientious efforts in soil conservation throughout the county. Congratulations to Irvin F. Ross, Work Unit Conservationist; Emmett L. Richter, Conservationist; Lelan E. Davis, Conservationist Technician; and Emily Kirkpatrick, District Clerk.

"Take Care of Your Soil and It Will Take Care of You Soil conservation not only helps to protect and improve the land, but helps lower the cost of farm production. For both the present and future, it pays off handsomely! We Urge You To Attend The 18th Annual Conservation fine, free lunch will be furnished by the Banks in Franklin County and this outstanding program will be presented: Motion Picture 1:00 P.M. 11:30 A.M. Drawing for "Early Bird" door prize 2:00 P.M. 11:45 A.M.

Lunch 2:45 P.M. FIRST NATIONAL Business Meeting Program. berry, vice president Fourth National Bank, Wichita, Kansas Door Prizes donated by merchants of Franklin County At Of OTTAWA CHARTERED 1870 Member Federal Deposit Corporation.