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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1962-08-23, Page 6-FFA FFFFFFYFFFTVF Freedom Por Sale In East Berlin A profitable new business has sprung u,p in Europe and enter- prising and daring men have been quick to cash in on it -- smuggling East Germans into Western Germany. No capital outlay is required and the only qualification need- ed is a willingness to take ap- palling risks, From the Baltic coast to the Czech frontier refugees are pay- ing big money to be taken over through or under the barriers which the Communists have built along the ontrie lengtb of the frontier — and of course. traffic has been particularly brisk since the East Germans built the Berlin wall. Some operators have a scale of charges, generally based on a client's income or his tate of desperation. Some smugglers squeeze every mark they can get from refu- gees, but a few appear to be genuinely idealistic, and ask only for "expenses." Doctors must pay stiff fees, partly because they earn high salaries — even more than their colleagues in Western Germany — a n d partly because doctor - smuggling is a risky business Most doctors in East Germany ere watched twenty-four ,tours e day — for with more than 1100 escaping to the West each year, East Germany faces a serious shortage of medical men. Western Germany, . however, has a surplus of them. Its Min- ister for Ali - German Affairs, Ernt Lemmer, said recently that he wished doctors, as represen- tatives of the German intelli- gentsia, would stick it o u t in East Germany and lend their fellow citizens a much-needed moral and spiritual hand, His plea fell on deaf ears. The city of Rostock has one remain- ing e y e specialist, a seventy- two -old man, who works a ten- hour day. His junior partner paid the equivalent of $3,600 to be spirited across the frontier. The smugglers of human freight prefer not to handle children, for f ear that in a dangerous situation they might grow scar- ed and betray themselves and their helpers. For the refugees caught try- ing to escape are rarely punish- ed severely but the smugglers f a c e death — usually instant. Recently, near Sonneberg, in the south, a smuggler was beaten to death and then thrown into West Germany territory. Most of the refugee agents, as they generally c all them- selves, are West Germans. But Dutchmen, Austrians, Czechs and at least two Englishmen are known to be involved. A Dutch cell has been among the most successful. They oper- ate from ane centre until it becomes too dangerous, then transfer to another headquarters hundreds of miles away. In December they pulled off one of the most spectacular es- cape stunts yet when they took fourteen workmen to safety at Salzwedel, near Luneberg Heath. The River Jetze flows through Salzwedel, an industrial town just inside the East German border, A police post watches the narrow river for possible refugees. Several have been eaught and a few shot and kill- ed while trying to boat their way into West Germany. The Dutchmen bought an open boat and sat their clients in it, making them clasp their hands prisoner -style an their heads. The Dutchmen, them- selves, dressed in East German police uniforms Two of them h e 1 d sub- machine - guns on the fourteen refugees while the third man drove the motor boat slowly down the river, past the check pn^f end en to safety. A sergeant et the post called to the boat to ask where the men were being taken, The Dutch leader shouted: "Where the swine can de no more harm!" This satisfied the pollee ser- geant and no alarm was raised until the following morning when the men were missed at the factory where they worked. A Czech group working at As, a market town in a narrow strip of Czech territory with East Germany on one side and West Germany on the other, have been equally successful, But un- like the Dutch, they never change their centre of operations, So far the group have taken an estimated 200 escapers into West Germany and still remain anonymous — and they hove toiled several attempts to plant informers among the escapers, A West German organization working from Lubeck on the Baltic coast, specializes in es- capes by sea, picking up refu- gees along the entire length of the East German coast from Ludbecker Bay to Swinemunde. Early in January, during a fog they went right into the docks of Stralsund and brought out five families. They probably cleared at least $12,000 for the operation. This is good money, but the agents take big risks. The' 150 - mile stretch between Stralsund and Lubeck is crawling with pa- trol boats, while the sandbars of the German Baltic coast make inshore navigation difficult, The refugee agents use many ruses and methods to get past the wall. They cut the wire and they tunnel under it; they have even bulldozed a way through it. One thing they try to avoid, however, is violence against the border guards and patrols, since this would provoke brutal coun- ter-measures. But if they fear capture the smugglers will stop at nothing. Two of them, with ten escap- ers in tow, were surprised by a police patrol near Hildburghau- sen. They shot it out with the police, killed or wounded four of them and were themselves both killed. All but one of the escapers, an elderly man who died of a heart attack during the fight, got safely across the border. The bodies of the two smug- glers were exposed for some days in Hildburghausen as a warning to would - be escapers. But this gruesome exhibition did not deter Dr, Dietrich Schultze, who immediately took his fam- ily ',cress the border, without the help of a refugee agent. Hildburghausen, population 65,- 000, now has only one physician. a How Well Do You Know SOUTHEAST ASIA? GOOD FOR PRETTY -- Three Pennsylvania Dutch Girl Scouts sample soup at the third Girl Scout Senior Roundup. From left (all from Pennsylvania), Dale Ehly, Anne Kent, Marie Cyr„ RAQUETS _ Doreen Dawn had heads turning in London, England, when she wore this straw hat with crossed raquets, TABLE TALKS 46e ROAST VEAL 1 5.11,. boned rolled rump or shoulder veal roast Salt Pepper Monosodium glutamate, optional 2 tbsp, cooking oil 2 tbsp. butter 3 tbsp. butter 1 medium onion, sliced thin - 1 carrot, sliced thin 1 stack celery, with leaves, chopped 1 clove garlic, cat in half 2 slices lemon 1 small bay leaf 4 sprigs parsley 1 cup sour cream Salt and pepper Heat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle all sides of roast gener- ously with salt, pepper and mon- osodium glutamte, rubbing it in well. Heat oil and 2 tbsp, butter together in a large heavy pan with a tight cover or a Dutch oven. Add meat and brown very well on all sides. Lift out meat, Pour out fat, meat was browned in and discard. Heat 3 tbsp, but- ter in same pan. Add onion, car- rot, celery and garlic and cook gently, stirring, until the onion is tender. Discard pieces of garlic. Return meat to pan. Add lemon, bay leaf and parsley. Cover tightly and put in oven, Cook about 21/2 hours or until very tender or 'a meat thermometer registers 175 degrees. Turn and baste the roast several times dur- ing cooking. Remove roast to a hot platter. Strain the liquid re- maining in the pan, pressing through sieve as much of the vegetable pulp as possible. Re- turn liquid to roasting pan and set over high heat, Boil hard un- til there is about half of the amount of liquid left, Remove from heat, Stir in sour cream gradually, stirring constantly. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Return to heat and bring just to boiling point. Do not boil. Serve hot with roast. • P CHICKEN LIVERS 1 lb. chicken livers, Flour 4 tbsp. butter 1 medium onion, sliced thin tsp. salt h. is]) pepper. 1 cup chicken stock Dash Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp, lemon juice Cooked rice Wash and clean chicken livers, Dry on paper towelling and roll in flour. Melt butter in heavy skillet and add onion. Cook gently, stirring, until golden. Add chicken livers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, Cook gently, turning livers often, until well browned. Add stock, Worcester- shire sauce and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning. Simmer a few minutes until livers are cooked through and sauce has thickened slightly, Serve imme- diately over hot rice. (Serves 9.) QUICK EGG SAL AT) Salt 1 clove garlic, cut in half Romaine OR leaf lettuce I egg Juice of 1 lemon 12 tsp. Worcestershire sauce s cup Parmesan (Meese, grated Salt and pepper Put a few grains of salt in the bottom of salad bowl and rub in- side of bowl well with cut sides of garlic. Discard garlic. Wash and dry lettuce and break into pieces into bowl. Boil egg for 1 minute (no longer) and break it over the lettuce. Toss well, Add Iemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Toss well and taste for seasoning. Add salt if necessary (cheese may be quite salty so 'do not add salt ISSUE 32 — 1.062 untilafter tasting) and some freshly -ground black pepper. Variation: Put croutons in a jar, cover with olive oil and add 1 clove of garlic, cut in half, Let stand 2 to 3 hours, Lift out crou- tons, drain on paper towelling and ,toss with salad. To make croutons, cut bread into ei-inch cubes. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Put in 350 - degree oven and heat, stirring often, until golden. * • • FRIED BANANAS 2 eggs 3 bananas 1 cup corn -flake crumbs Pat for deep frying Beat eggs well with a fork, Cut each banana in half length- wise, then through the middle to make 4 pieces. Dip each piece in egg, then in corn flakes to coat well. Drop into hot fat (375 de- grees ) and fry a few seconds until coating browns well, * 5 k PEAR PICNIC PIE Rich pastry for a 2 -crust pie; 3 cups cut-up pears: 1 can crush- ed pineapple, drained; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; thick cream. Chill pastry. Cook rest of in- gredients in saucepan over low heat uncovered for 20 mins., stirring often, until pears are tender. Drain off juice, reserving r/z cup. Cool mixture, Roll out half of pastry very thin, slip on to 11 -inch pizza pan, Cover with fruit, building up center with pear chunks. Roll out rest of pastry, Cut out %-inch circle in center and slip pastry over fill- ing. Crimp edges to seal; sprin- kle top with sugar. Bake in hot oven 400° F. 25 mins., brushing with syrup. Insert funnel just before serving and pour thick cream into pie. Q. Is it considered bad man- ners to take anything to drink while there is food in your mouth? A. Yes, since this might leave particles of food in the beverage, Then, too, one should avoid the appearance of "washing down" one's food. It is amazing how many people are guilty of this breach of etiquette. The drawback in setting a good example for your children is that it takes all the fun out of your own middle age. Canadian -Born M.D. A Modern Heroine As a medical officer with the U,S, Food and Drug Administra- tion, Dr, Frances Oldham Kelsey is a reverse researcher, She scrutinizes other researehers' pharmaceutical discoveries, and Wes to find out what, if any- thing, is wrong with them, I1 she feels a new drug would do more harm than good, Dr, Kelsey blocks its approval and prevents it from reaching the public. By its nature, her work goes on quietly in a Washington office. But last month the spotlight was on Dr. Kelsey and the FDA as the public discovered her thor- oughness had probably averted a monumental tragedy in the U.S, For more than a year, the Cana- dian -horn physician and pharma- cologist refused to approve a sleeping pill called thalidomide— a drug that last November was linked to the birth of thousands of deformed babies in Europe, Dr. Kelsey received an appli- cation to license sale of the drug in September 1960, just a month after she joined the FDA. It was submitted by the reputable W. S. Merrell Co, of Cincinnati, But as she studied the application's mass of information on animal and Human trials, Dr, Kelsey was troubled by one point: Thalido- mide didn't work on animals; the drug, it seemed, failed to put them to sleep, Far from insuring thalidomide's safety, these find- ings, to Dr. Kelsey's skeptical mind, merely showed that animal research might not indicate the drug's effects in man. She firmly rejected the Merrell application with a letter calling for more conclusive research. When Merrell's follow-up ap- plication about two months later was also turned down, Dr. Kel- sey recalled recently, the com- pany began to apply pressure with letters, phone calls, and even personal visits to her and her superiors. There were sug- gestions, Dr. Kelsey said, that she was being "unreasonable" and possibly even "stupid." Merrell, she said, was "anxious to get the drug on th emarket, Its reason was not hard to find. After 1968, when it was intro- duced by a German firm, Grun- enthal of Stolberg, thalidomide rapidly became one of West Ger- many's most popular pills, Ad- vertised as the "Sleeping Pill of the Century" and sold without a prescription, the drug was swal- lowed by -perhaps a million -peo- ple every night. Greman phy- sicians recommended thalidomide widely to pregnant women suf- fering from morning sickness. In the U.S., Dr, Kelsey's deci- sions (backed up by her superi- ors) to keep the drug off the American market remained in effect, In February 1961, while leafing through The British Med- ical Journal, she found a report that peripheral neuropathy (an inflammation of the nerves which produces numbness and itching of the hands and feet) occurred in patients on thalido- mide for long periods, "This was the first real evi- dence that thalidomide was toxic," she now says, Dr. Kelsey then asked that future thali- domide applications prove that it would be safe if taken during pregnancy. But before the Mer- rell Co. could produce the kind of evidence she wanted, thalido- mide in Europe was involved in pharmaceutical history. On Nov. 20, 1961, Dr. Widukind Lenz of Hamburg told a West German pediatric meeting that he had "grave reason" to suspect that the drug, taken by expect- ant mothers, was causing the birth of infants with phocomelia, a deformity involving flipper -like arms and malformed legs. The infants described by Dr, Lenz had phocomelia of both arms or legs, and, in some instances, no arms or legs at all. Significantly, the rare disorder had mysterious- ly increased throughout West Germany time 1969. Thalidomide manufacturers in West Germany and England (the secondbiggest consumer) promp- tly stopped selling the drug, Al- though the drug -makers stressed that they were skeptieal of the case against thalidomide, many doctors, by going back over their phocomelia case records and in- terviewing mothers, found strong evidence supporting Dr, Lenz's theory, The full horror in Europe is still unfolding, Doctors expect that by late this month, when the last pregnant women who could have taken the drug are deliver- ed, births of deformed babies will total 3,500 to 6,000 in West Germany and 1,200 in England, About two-thirds of the children will live, Possibly, t h e thalidomide tragedy may touch some Ameri- can families. Although not au- thorized for sale, samples of the drug went to some physicians for use in 11/Terrell's clinical trials. How many pregnant American women received thalidomide dur- ing testing is not known After hearing the news from Germany, Merrell warned its clincial in- vestigators not to give the drug to women of child-bearing age and, in March, stopped testing altogether. Dr. Kelsey wouldn't speculate about what would have happen- ed if the drug had gone out to America's millions of avid pill - takers. "The point is," she said crisply, "it didn't." —From NEWSWEEK Build Your Church Like A Supermarket The twentieth century is catch- ing up with the churches, or maybe it's the other way around. Seven years ago it was dial -a - prayer, Three months ago, the reconstructed Coventry Cathe- dral opened with facilities for eighteen television cameras. And last month it was disclosed that churches should be planned like supermarkets, This revelation came at an in- terdenominational seminar on church planning at Southern. Methodist University's Perkins School of Theology. Two church planning officials, Dr. Lyle B. Schaller of Cleveland and Dr. Alan K. Waltz of New York, suffi- gested that if ministers wank their churches to be drawing cards, they should simply thin of them with these supermarket essentials in view: Find at least 6 acres of land for a sprawling, campus -like layout. Pick a corner that is visible from the street; the higher the ground the better Buy the land early before costs become pro- hibitive. Seek out a site in the neigh- borhood of a school, often the focal point of community inter- est. Plan for a parking lot at least as large as the church itself, be- cause if the people can't park, they probably won't come. Only one person in two knows how to drive a car well — and she usually sits hi the back seat. PAINT RAGS — Vincenzo Funicello, of Isle of Ischia, Italy, paints or, rather, paste* --- a picture on canvas He uses rags to create landscapes and human, figures, Above, Funicello puts the finishing touches on this picturesque work of art,