metropolitan

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or. loop was `deeply affected ' by death of his famous patient


SAXTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -
The Philadelphia doctor who hdped separate A!-
tagracia Rodriguez frcm her Siamese twin sister
Ciara in a rare operation two years ago says he
has been "deeply affected bp her death."
Altagtacia, who was 3 last month, choked to
death last Friday after a piece of bean lodged in
her throat.

Dr. Everett Ronp, whc headed the surgizaI
team that operated on the twins at Children's
Hospital, Philadelphia, flew to the Dominican Rz-
public to be with the Rodriguez family and at-
tmded the child's funera!.

"Since my wife znd I lost 3 son in an accident,
1 thwg~~: >vc could be of heip and morai support
to hzr family," Dr. Koop said at a press ccnfer-
cnce here Monday night. "I love these people,
\r, ho made me rhzir' adopted son . . . Since I
shared their joy xvhen the girl was: separat~J
through the operation, I wanted as well to be
pr25ent new 10 share their grief and mourning."
II< said that Clara, the surviving `win, was
quite healthy and was not Iikz!y to suffer adverse
J;>ycJhologicaI effects because of hzr sister's
<!;7aih.

"since :he's so young, she cannot know cvha?s
going on," he said.
"Aitagracia did not die because of lack cf
medical care," Dr. Koop emphasized, "but be-
cause a piece of bean that she inges:ed was too
big for her tiny ithroat)."
The doc:or s-oeke at the child's funeral in the
little town of San .Jose de Ocoa Sunday, saying
that even if the accident had occur?-ed in hi,; med-
izal off;x, he could have done nothing to save
her.

Jn an interview, Xltagracia's parents, Mr. and
SJrs. Salvador Rodriguez, described the circum-
stances of their daughter's death.
`The family was spending a fe1.v d,,, at the vi]-
Iage of Las hu;:amas, xhere tbey own a small
cottage that hcuses a grocery and living quarters.
Rodriguez has commuted there from the hous

Altagracia Rodriguez early last year

the government built for the fa!ni!y in/ San Jose
de Ocoa after the operation and its lvorldwide
publicity.

Mrs. Rodriguez was cooking supper Fri&y
night while the chiid pia).& on a cement patio ad-
jacent to the cottage. An II-year&I girl :vho
helped Mrs. Rodriguez with household chores :vas
watching her. The father was in another village
on an errand.

Suddenly, the little giri began coughing and
gasping. The babysitter ran to tell Mrs. Rodri-
gwz, who rushed out to the patio to find her child
choking, her face turning black. The mother and
      (See DOCTOR on 2-B)


Twids doctor :shares, grief .,at fYz@ral

DOCTOR, From 1-B

some neighbors managed to dislodge a fragment
of raw bean from the child's mouth, but she died
within three or four minutes.
Nevertheless, in a frantic effort to save her, the
neighbors found a jeep and rushed the mother
and child to the home of a docior in San Jose de
Ocoa: about 12 miles away.
He,said there was nothing to be done, and the
child was taken to the San Jose de Ocoa Hospital
to Dr. Luis Octavid Medina.
Dr. Medina said that he "tried to perform a mi-
racle" to revive the child but that it was too late.
The Rodriguezes said Altagracia had often

nlsyed with uncooked beans but had never tried
to eat one. -Thev said they did not know how she
found one on the patio.

The funeral was held in the municipal ceme-
tery in San Jose de Ocm. About 4,000 people at-
tended,. including congressmen, the town's mayor
and, a number of local dignitaries.
Altagracia and her sister were connected at
the waist and pelvis when-they were born. The at:
tending physician told Mrs., Rodriguez that the
babies would die within a few months.
When the two survived and grew healthier, a
second doctor was consulted. He said that the
twins could grow to adulthood but that it would be
        `I

impossible to separate them.     '
The situation eventually came to the attention

of Mrs. Diana Zimnoch of Warrington, Petmsylva-
nia, who called Children3 Hospital.
.The hospital donated its services. Money

raised by Mrs. Zimndch's church allowed thechil-
dren and Mrs. Rodriguez to come to Philadelphia
for the operation.                       . `kc:
The twins were separated in 10 hours of sur-

gery of .a type that had been performed success-
fully only 25 times before. After.follow-up surgery,
both twins were reported doing'well, although Al-
tagracia was considered to be the healthier of the
two.