Search

At least some of them apparently slipped into this country via a South American ship 50 or 60 years ago. They have prospered, become a problem, and defied all efforts to get rid of them.Who are these illegal immigrants? The fire ants (Solenopsis). Physicians at the American Academy of Allergy meeting in New Orleans reported treating increasing numbers of human allergic reactions to the fire ant sting. (One reason for the fire ant's name is that its sting is said to feel much like a burn.)The reactions are often extremely serious. A number of deaths have occurred, and some fingers and toes have required amputation, according to the American Farm Bureau. Another type of case was reported by a chemist in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC. On three separate occasions, he wrote, he was stung by fire ants. Within several weeks, skin

Owen H. Wangensteen, MD, PhD, teacher, researcher, and surgeon, died of a myocardial infarction at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis on Jan 13. He was 82 years old. Wangensteen was chief of surgery at the University of Minnesota Hospital for almost 40 years.Perhaps best remembered for the now-famous "Wangensteen tube" that facilitates conservative management of bowel obstruction with suction applied to an indwelling duodenal tube, he will also be remembered for his contributions in the treatment of stomach cancer.Wangensteen was born on a small farm in Lake Park, Minn, in September 1898. Because of his interest in farm animals, he aspired to become a veterinarian. However, after auditing a surgical lecture, he changed his mind. He earned all his degrees at the University of Minnesota.At age 31, Wangensteen was selected to head the Department of Surgery at the university—a position he held until he retired in 1967. Truly