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Dr. Koop was ‘deeply affected’. by death of his famous patient |
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Twin’s doctor ilies to her funeral

Francisco Matos

Speco to ‘ine Inquerer :
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic —

The Philadelphia doctor who helped separate Al-

tagravia Rodriguez from her Siamese twin sister

Clava in a rare operation two years ago says he

has been “deeply affected by her death.”
Altagracia, who was 3 last month, choked to

death last Friday after a piece of bean lodged in.

ber throat.
Dr, Everett Koop, whe headed the surgical

team that operated on the twins at Children’s.

Hospital; Philadelphia, flew to the Dominican Re-
public to be with the Rodriguez family and at-
tended the child’s funeral. . .

“Since my wife and I lost a son in an accident,
T thought we could be of heip and moral support
io her family,” Dr. Koop said at a press cenfer-
ence here Monday night. “£ love these people,
who made me their’ adopted son Since [
shared their joy when the girl was separated
through. the operation, I wanted as well to be
present new to share their grief and mourning.”

He said that Clara, the surviving twin, was
quite. healthy and was not likely to suffer adverse
psychological effects because of her sister’s
death.

“Since she’s so voung, she cannot know what's
going on,” he said.

“Altagracia did not die because of lack of
medical care,” Dr. Koop emphasized, “but be-
cause a piece of bean that she ingested was too
big for her tiny (throat).’”’

The doctor spoke at the child’s funeral in the
littl town of San Jose de Ocoa Sunday, saying
that even if the aecident had occurred in his med-
wal office, he could have done nothing to save
her. -

tian interview, Altagracia’s parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Saivador Rodriguez, described the circum-
stances of their daughter’s death. a .

The family was spending a few days at the vil-
lage of Las Auvamas, where they own a small
cottage that houses a grocery and living quarters.
Rodriguez has commiuted there from the house

 

 

"Altagracia Rodriguez early last year

the government built for the family in San Jose
de Ocoa after the operation and its worldwide
publicity. , ——

Mrs. Rodriguez was cooking supper Friday
night while the chiid played on a cement patio ad-
jacent to the cottage. An ]l-year-old girl who
helped Mrs. Rodriguez with household chores was
watching her. The father was in another village
on an errand.

Suddenly, the little girl began coughing and
gasping. The babysitter ran to tell Mrs. Rodri-
guez, who rushed out to the patio to find her child
choking, her face turning black. The mother and

(See DOCTOR on 2-B)
Twin’s doctor shares, grief at fune

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 doctor in San Jose de
Ocoa; about 12 miles away. * 4
He.said there was nothing to be done, and the
child was taken to the San Jose de Ocoa Hospital
to Dr. Luis Octavio 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

nlayed with uncooked beans but had never tried
to edt.one. Thev said they.did not know how she

found one on the patio. 7
The funeral was held in the municipal ceme-

-tery in San Jose de Ocea. 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
“fs

‘ impossible to separate them. —

| The situation eventually came to the ‘attention
of Mrs. Diana Zimnoch of Warrington, Pennsylva-
nia, who called Children’s: Hospital. : :

:The hospital donated its services. Money
raised by Mrs. Zimnoch’s church allowed the chil-
dren and Mrs, Rodriguez to come to Philadelphia
for the operation. : - OY

The twins were separated in 10 hours of sur-

. gery of a type that had been pérformed 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 th

two.