Newspapers / InterCom (Durham, N.C.) / Nov. 12, 1976, edition 1 / Page 1
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Intercom Duke University Medical Center VOLUME 23, NUMBER 45 NOVEMBER 12,1976 DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA Isolated Tribe May Offer Medical Insights By David Williamson In 1956, the Aucas, a primitive and unpacified group of South American Indians attracted the attention of a world they never knew existed by spearing five male missionaries on a riverbank at the headwaters of the Amazon in the trackless rain forest of eastern Ecuador. Since that sad day, the sister of one of the slain Americans has succeeded in meeting most of the Aucas and persuading them to stop killing outsiders and each other. A Message from Medical Center Administration I m portant Vote T u esday Next Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2,025 Duke Medical Center employees will make a very important decision. These employees will vote in an election to decide whether or not they will be represented by a labor union. The election will be decided by a majority of those who vote. Anyone eligible, who does not vote, will allow someone else to determine whether or not he or she will be represented by the union. If a majority of those voting choose the union, all those eligible will be represented by Local 77 AFSCME in all issues related to their jobs, wages, fringe benefits, and working conditions whether or not they have actually joined the union. Employees who may vote have been individually notified of their eligibility. Any questions regarding eligibility may be directed to a supervisor or to the Labor Relations Office 684-3129. The medical center encourages each eligible employee to examine the issues carefully for himself or herself. Each person has individual needs and should decide whether or not the union will contribute positively to the relationship which he or she has with the medical center and in the individual's job situation. The medical center believes that the presence of a union would make it more difficult for employees to get real satisfaction from their work. We believe that employees who care about doing a good job and who want satisfaction from a job well done, will vote NO on Tuesday. Employees in the following classification are those eligible to vote: Administrative Secretary Artist Illustrator Audiovisual Technician Autopsy Technician Bus Drivers Cashier Cashier, Sr. Central Supply Room Aide Chapel Receptionist Chauffeur Class & Coding Clerk Class & Coding Clerk, Sr. Clerk Typist Clerk Typist, Sr. Clinic Assistant Clinic Assistant, Sr. Cook Cook, Advanced Corsetiere Cytology Preparatory Tech. Data Terminal Operator Deliveryman Dietetic Assistant Dining Hall Cashier Duplicating Machine Operator EKG Technician Electron Microscopy Tech. Electron Microscopy Tech., Sr. Equipment Room Clerk Facilities Analyst Food Service Aide Food Service Aide, Sr. Gift Shop Coordinator Inventory Records Clerk Instrument Maker Laboratory Assistant Laboratory Assistant, Sr. Laboratory Preparator Laboratory Technician Library Assistant Library Assistant, Sr. Library Clerk Mail Clerk Mail Clerk, Sr. Medical Laboratory Clerk Medical Records Clerk Medical Records Clerk, Sr. Medical Secretary Medical Supply Assembler Medical Supply Assembler, Sr. Medical Technician Medical Transcriptionist Medical Transcriptionist, Sr. Messenger Office Clerk Offset Pressman Offset Pressman, Sr. Surgical Attendant (Operating Room) Operating Room Technician Parking Lot Attendant Patient Care Assistant Patient Care Assistant, Advanced Patient Care Technician Patient Escort Pharmacy Aide Physical Therapy Assistant Plastic OR Assistant Plastic OR Aide Radiological Safety Technician Research Aide Secretary Unit Service Aide Unit Service Aide, Sr. Vectorcardiogram Technician Ward Clerk X-ray Equipment Repairman Laboratory Research Assistant The election will be held in the Courtyard Cafeteria from 6-10 a.m. and from 2-6 p.m. All eligible employees are urged to vote. An international team of scientists, headed by a medical student from Duke, has recently returned from a six-week research expedition to the land of the Aucas and has reported some observations on a people literally lost in time. Extremely Healthy People “We shortened our full medical exams after we'd seen 160 people, about a quarter of the population, because everyone was just extremely healthy," said James Larrick, the project coordinator who is working toward doctoral degrees in both medicine and immunology at Duke. "With the exception of poor teeth and a few complaints related to parasites, we didn't find any pathology — virtually no heart disease, malnutrition, obesity, hypertension, social diseases, allergies and only one or two individuals with psychiatric problems," Larrick said. Unlike almost every other population in the world, he said, the Aucas have blood pressures that stay the same or go down with age. The Indians, who call themselves "Woags" in their own language, are probably among the healthiest people on earth, according to the team's evaluation. In addition to the medical examinations, the scientists collected blood samples and data for a number of research projects to be conducted in coming months. Genetic Research Larrick said the Aucas, who hunt with blowguns and poisoned arrows and generally wear no clothing, are particularly interesting to geneticists because they have been isolated from other Indian tribes in the Amazon Basin since before the Spanish conquistadors first entered Ecuador in 1542. "Aucas have what we call 'cross-cousin' marriages arranged from childhood, and as a result, they have become very inbred," he said. "Inbred populations, instead of having unmatched gene pairs, have matched pairs of genes which are easier to study and to trace." By recording the family relationships of the people from whom blood samples were taken, Larrick said he and his colleagues hope to get a better idea of how the (Continued on page 3) Siii SCIENCE IN THE AMAZON—Duke medical student James Larrick prepares a needle for drawing blood from an Auca boy while the child's mother assures his continued presence with a firm grasp.
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