62144 C=4 OT4O Controversy arises over circumcising infants By KELLY CLARK and KATHI DODSON Collegian Science Writers Should parents have their sons circumcised when doctors say there are no medical grounds for performing such a procedure? Recently, the practice of circumcising new born babies has become a topic of debate among parents and memb6rs of the medical field as an increasing number of parents and adult males question the need for such a practice. Marilyn F. Milos, registered nurse and director of the National Organization of Cir cumcision Information Resource Centers in San Anselmo, Calif., said circumcision is an "outdated and barbaric ritual," and that no medical reason exists for circumcising male infants. Dr. Gordon Avery, director of the division of neonatology at Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., agreed that circumcision is "one of the few operations which is decided, primarily on religous and social bounds." Students plan trip to Mars By JEANNETTE GIBSON Collegian Science Writer No, this isn't a flashy headline to catch your attention, it's an actual contest that students, not scientists, are invited to participate in. The 1987 Mars Student Contest is the fourth contest of this sort spon sored by the Planetary Society, said Chris McKay, the Mars Institute Con test Coordinator. "The Planetary Society," McKay explained, "is composed mostly of people who aren't professionally in volved with the field of space explora tion and research, but who are interested in the subject on a nonpro fessional level." Louis Freedman, the executive di rector of the Planetary Society said that "the contest is primarily educa tional and gives students the opportu nity to work on a research problem related to space exploration." The society has approximately 150,- 000 members, and this year the stu dent members, and any other student who chooses to enter the contest, will discover that the contest is different from previous years. This year, students may choose to enter •in two different catagories: • Contest 1 challenges students to design an international Mars mission of any proportions, with consider ation of the technological capabilities of the various space programs of the space faring nations. • Contest 2 requires students to consider the social, political, and economic benefits and problems as sociated with an international mis Having diabetes doesn't mean you stop living By LAURA PACE Collegian Science Writer Lisa pauses and rolls up her sleeve, holding the needle up to the light. She taps it gently to remove all traces of air and poises it above the spot swabbed with alcohol. She slowly inserts the needle into her vein and pushes the plunger down, forcing the liquid into her body. Lisa is a University student who must give herself three injections a day without them she will die. She is a diabetic. And as though adjusting to college life were not hard enough, she has a constant schedule to follow with a rigorous diet and exercise rituals. She learned of her disease during a routine physical in eighth grade. Ev erything was normal,-she said, until her mother mentioned that Lisa had been going to the bathroom a lot, had lost weight and was tired frequently. Then Lisa was given a glucose finger prick and was told she was diabetic. ap maker practices the lost art of cartography By CHRISTINE KILGORE Collegian Science Writer He's done everything from designing ash trays, lighting fixtures, and the first jazz record label, to studying zoology and drawing pen and ink sketches, but never did he take a course in cartography. Yet, today, 86-year-old Richard Harrison is one of the world's most renowned and expert cartographers —.the non-automated art and craft of map making. Harrison considers himself one of a dying breed because he still uses a drawing board and not a computer to design maps. But with his drawing board and much more, Harrison has drawn every continent at least eight times, designed a 25-foot long mural for the New York Times lobby in New York City, and Circumcision the surgical removal of the foreskin, a fold of skin over the end of the penis costs up to $2OO million per year and causes the death of about 200 babies annually, Milos said. Many parents do not understand how or why the surgery is done, but they Milos said the organization'is seeking fur agree to have it done because they assume it ther comments from men about areas such is the normal, and therefore correct, thing to as: problems believed to be related to their do. circumcision; the age at which the surgery The United States is one of the only nations occured ; feelings upon the discovery that left where more than half of male infants are "part of your body was cut off"; and prefer still circumcised at birth without a medical ence of being circumcised or intact, perhaps or religious reason, she said. In comparison, even considering foreskin restoration. more than 85 percent of the world's males are However, Avery said, babies rarely die not circumcised, she added. during circumcision, and scarring and In Moslem and Asian countries circumci- dysfunction usually occur only when the sion is rare, while in Israel it is almost procedure was done incorrectly, such as universal, Avery said. when too much foreskin in cut away. The only In America, circumcision is the norm but serious medical side effect of circumcision is "perhaps becoming a bit less preponderous," hemorrhaging, which can cause the baby to he said, comparing the decision to circumcise die, or the need for revision if the surgery was a child to the decision a mother makes incorrect. between breastfeeding or bottle feeding. Over the past few months, NOCIRC has sion to Mars, and to suggest how these problems might be overcome and the benefits maximized. "This contest involves a social component that was not part of the contests of previous years," said Mc- Kay. The social aspects considered in Project 2 are as important the the space program as the engineering technicalities of Project 1, he added. But why Mars? "Mars is the planet the most like Earth, and there might have been life there billions of years ago." McKay said. "We predict that within 5 to ten years there will be an unmanned sample return mission to Mars." McKay noted that a manned mis sion may be possible within the next 20 years. These facts may be especially im portant to students interested in space and this contest because it is entirely possible that their entries will be considered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administra tion for future missions to Mars. "I read the papers and send the ones that may or may not be feasible, and the ones that are definately feasi ble, on to people in NASA who are working in these areas," said McKay, who is a research scientist at NASA. So far 300 students have requested more information about the contest, McKay said, adding that he expects 100 students to submit entries, and approximately 10 of them to be out standing. "The students who write the best papers are the ones who will likely contribute to professional literature "He said, 'Oh my God, you're a diabetic,' and I thought I was going to die," Lisa said. She said she felt a terrible fear. "I cried and cried. I felt like a freak." She was then taught the "diabetic exchange" diet and insulin instruc tions and her close friends read about diabetes to see what they could do to help her, she said. When Lisa decided to come to the University, she sent Ritenour Health Center a letter because they asked for information if students have a disabi lity. But, Lisa said, "I didn't consider it a disability because it didn't get in my way." Managing diabetes and campus life can have its challenges, she said. For example, most students like to stay out late Friday night and sleep late on Saturday morning. "You can't do that," she said. "You have to get your meals and insulin in, so you don't die." But what about giving yourself a seen his maps and diagrams published in Fortune, Smithsonian Magazine and numer ous atlases and books. Armed with rolls of maps and sketches during a recent visit to the University, Harri son said his cartographic career began acci dentally in 1932 when the copy editor of Time magazine asked him to do a map because the regular map man was off duty. Having attracted the attention of the Time editors, Harrison became a regular cartogra pher, soon started making maps for Fortune, and eventually began supporting himself as a free-lancer. "As a free-lancer, I discovered a lot of things in cartography which were just a result of common sense," said Harrison, who lives in New York City. "I never had any training in cartography, and didn't have any received letters from men complaining about their circumcisions, he said, adding that such complaints include scars, tightness, pain, sexual dysfunction and a decrease in sensa tion. Non-circumcision does require an extra effort for good hygiene, Avery said. Dirt can on the subject one day," Freedman said. Winners in each category will re ceive $750 cash and an all expense paid trip to Boulder, Co. this summer shot as often as three times a day plus doing a finger puncture to check blood sugar levels? "Most people say 'Oh I couldn't possibly give myself a shot,' but the needle is the smallest," she said. "If you want to stay alive it's not big deal." Most of Lisa's friends remember her disease only when she smiles and says, "Time to shoot up!" Bruce Rowland, a University parks and recreation instructor who is cur rently conducting a survey of Univer sity students concerning their diabetes and its relationship to exer cise and physical activities, said dia betes does not limit the activities an individual can partake in. However, diabetics must take special consider ations when participating in some activities. For example, if diabetics decide to go camping they must make sure that they have adequate medical supplies and identification. Lisa's roommate keeps a close courses with any bearing, except maybe some architecture courses. "And when I've taught, I've taught stu dents how to handle instruments and other things you would never learn in cartography, like shades and shadows," he said. "If you know how to read contours and shadows, you can make a very realistic map . . . You just get the very best contour maps available and interpret them. If you have this training in shades and shadows, and pa tience, there's nothing to it." Harrison credits most of his training in the area of "shades and shadows" to his formal architecture training at the Yale School of Fine Arts in New Haven, Connecticut, where he had previously graduated with a bache lor's degree in zoology and chemistry. After graduating in 1930 with a degree in architecture, Harrison found the field not as for the upcoming Mars conference. Entries should be sent to the Mars Institute, The Planetary Society, 65 North Catalina Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91106. Deadline is May 1, 1987. watch on her: "I worry at night that she might go into insulin shock. Sometimes I yell, 'Lisa, are you all right?' " Insulin shock occurs when the bod y's sugar level drops below an ad equate operating level. When this occurs, the diabetic will often become disoriented, and begin to sweat. How ever, sugar levels can usually be raised quickly by eating something high in sugar such as a soda or candy bar, Rowland said. Diabetes has five forms which vary according to the time of on-set and the type of treatment, he said. Juve nile diabetes is usually treated with insulin shots and a diet while adult diabetes is usally treated with a con trolled diet and oral medication. In addition, he said, treatment greatly varies from individual to individual. Lisa's advice to anyone who knows or is a diabetic is to remember: "You can live a basically normal life. Don't think you're a freak. You don't have to give everything up." collect under the foreskin, and after puberty it becomes necessary for the male to retract or roll back his foreskin and clean off the penis underneath it. But before puberty, parents should not force the foreskin back to clean it because that may cause bleeding. Non-circumcision rarely increases the risk of urinary and other infections, he added. Adult men can be circumcised, but adult circumcision represents a greater health risk because it is elective surgery that requires anesthesia and going on the operating table, which are more risky than the circumcision itself, Avery said. The earliest records of circumcision date back to 2400 B.C. in Egypt, Milos said, where the pharaohs were circumcised as a measure of cleanliness, and their slaves were marked in this fashion. The Old Testement also men tions circumcision, and the New Testament explains the use of circumcision as an act of faith. At the end of the 1800 s, a masturbation I guess that question didn't mean a lot to me in 10th grade biology, but I guess that all the time I've been spending studying for the MCATs lately has caused me to daydream about why I want to be a doctor and what the future might be like for me. All the controversy over the attitudes and personalities of pre sent physicians creates a question of the integrity of the current premeds' desire to practice medi cine. To me, the underlying reason for someone to choose a career in medicine should be a desire to help people live the healthiest lives possible, by curing sickness and preventing it if possible. Isn't that why there are doctors to begin with? If anyone out there still thinks that people go into medicine to get rich, he ought to check out statis tics like malpractice insurance rates. Some doctors pay as much as half of their entire salary for insurance, and that's not even counting income tax. If it's money you want to make, go into business. Power and control also should not be reasons for practicing med icine. Control. of what? People's lives? Admittedly, doctors do have a certain amount of control in some circumstances, such as the operating room where once you're under anesthesia, you're all theirs. But still, the patient has the ultimate say in what the doctor will or will not do, and the doctor must respect and obey these wishes, even if it contradicts what she or he thinks is best. Another element of control that is often wrongly associated with medicine stems from the area of genetic engineering. People fear that someday doctors will be able to clone people and all that kind of nonsense. Personally, I don't think it can ever happen, and even if someone does find a way I would hope whoever it is immediately gets run over by a truck. We have no business tampering with the thriving as he had expected and got a job in a decorating firm and later in the art depart ment of another company before he returned to maps and explanatory graphics. "I've only worked two 9-to-5 jobs in my life," said Harrison, whose father, Ross Har rison, discovered and developed tissue cul ture. "One was with Schenly Products, where I designed labels and boxes, and the other was three years with Fortune." "Then just before the war started, I opened an office across the street from Fortune and did even more work for them. For a period of about 20 years, I made at least '5O major maps. In later years, I've done only about one or two a year." • Throughout his career, Harrison, who is said to have influenced map-making as a critic, has advocated the legibility and clarity of map indexes and printed type on maps. Future doctors really do care What is life? asked Warren Lentz, Selinsgrove Area High School biology teacher. Iffor The Daily Collegian Thursday, April 16, 1987 hysteria struck Victorian England, and many believed that removing a boy's foreskin would keep him from masturbating, which was thought to cause diseases and physical deformities during development. By the turn Of the century, doctors realized that circum cision would not prevent masturbation, but circumcision continued as a religious ritual, Milos added. In 1949, researchers discovered that during fetal development, the foreskin normally develops with the glands, or the bulbous end of the penis, and is connected by a common membrane indicating that they are one common structure instead of two separate structures. She said the foreskin is believed to have a protective function in babies be cause it provides a barrier from urine and feces retained in diapers. Milos said that in 1968, a Danish medical researcher discovered that the foreskin be comes retractable by itself during normal development and does not have to be remov ed surgically. `Even if someone does find a way (to clone people), I would hope whoever it is immediately gets run over by a truck.' perfection that has already been created. . Also casting a shadow over the medical practice is the controver sy over life-support systems and extending the human lifespan to dangerous numbers dangerous in that the world could face serious overpopulation problems. In the long run, though, more people would die because of food short ages, and we'd be back to where we started. If we were smart, we'd try to avoid these problems to begin with by concerning ourselves with help ing people to make the most out of their natural number of years. The legal issues behind life-sup port systems are so extremely touchy that it seems almost impos sible to make definite laws con cerning their use. I know that I certainly never would want to kept alive if I were otherwise dead. What's life without consciousness? "Troubled" would mildly describe the state of my soul. But each person can only speak for himself, and it's up to the doctor to do his best to remain neutral and leave the decision to whom it concerns. Prestige can play a part the goal of becoming a doctor, but this is more of a secondary reward for all your efforts. The personal satis faction of practicing medicine should be the primary reward. You're not going to have lots of time to spend gloating over your M.D. anyway. There will be zil lions of more important things to do. So what does the future medical world look like? I feel confident that there will be improvements in the quality of practicing physi cians, especially in the area of doctor/patient relations. I have good feelings about the current premeds; at least most of the ones that I. know seem to have honest intentions. Hopefully there are a lot more people like that all over the country . . . and hopefully the medical school admissions people will be able to pick them out. Kelly Clark is a junior majoring in biology and a science writer for the Collegian. "Railroads, national parks, town sites and other points of interest people want to see on a map can be distracting unless they're categorized. This can be done through the use of different types," said Harrison. "Complete categorizing and indexing is very rare in American atlases. "Pictorial treatment is also not really good cartography and is frowned upon. If you put an elephant on the Congo basis, for instance, it hides so much geography." Harrison said most of today's cartography is done by civil engineers who produce maps automatically from raw data. "But you can't allow yourself to be enslaved by gadgets and computers. It's still in the the brain, and you have to exercise it," he said. "My advice to students is not to study the books too rigidly, but let your brain do a little rummaging around." Alarms Continued from page 1 when there were 169 fire-related inci dents, 117 of them false alarms, Hand said. But "false fire alarms continue to be a problem in Hamilton Hall," said Thomas Harmon, assistant director of University safety. Although residents other than Brennan said there were a number of fire alarms in Hamilton last week, Hand said the University has records of only one this month, at 4:57 a.m. April 8. He agreed, however, there were a lot of false alarms in the building last semester, but said he does not know who is responsible because no one has come forward with any information. When a series of false alarms are pulled in a residence hall within a short period, Hand said University Police Services investigates. Howev er, he could not remember whether this has been done recently. In East Halls shortly befoie Christmas break, a number of alarms occurred that were attributed to sys tem malfunctions, Hand said. But when the systems were left on over Christmas break to test them, no alarms went off indicating the alarms before breaks had been pulled intentionally. Atherton Hall is another trouble area recently for fire alarms. "There are entirely too many fire NEMEI T Z CINEMA 5 W=MEl=ffil ARISTOCATS Nightly: 7:00 TIN MEN R Nightly: 9:40 Dead by dawn EVIL DEAD 2 Nightly: 8:10 & 10:10 Winner of 4 Academy Awards Including "Best Picture!" PLATOON R Nightly: 7:30 & 9:45 Mel Gibson and Danny Glover LETHAL WEAPON R Nightly: 7:50 & 9:50 Charlie Sheen ... THREE FOR THE ROAD PO Nightly: 8:00 & 10:00 ..:STATE 111 :12122 tMi'Ml THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS P 0.13 Nightly: 8:00 & 10:00 Take off with the original cast .. POLICE ACADEMY 4: CITIZENS ON PATROL Fie Nightly: 8:15 & 10:15 =c=mn Andrew McCarthy ... MANNEQUIN P 0.13 Nightly: 7:15 & 9:15 drills," said Stacy Tibbetts (sopho more-English), who 'refused to leave his room in Atherton Hall last Octo ber when a fire alarm went off. There had been five that week, and three in that day alone, he said. "The University can spend money raising the (Atherton) courtyard four feet, but they can't make sure the alarm works right," Tibbetts said. The problem in Atherton was due to "a run of bad (smoke) detector heads," Hand said, adding that the defective heads have been "pretty much all replaced." Tibbetts said he received a discipli nary warning for refusing to leave the building during the alarm. Students have to exit a building when an alarm sounds regardless of the number of alarms that have been sounded because the next alarm could be a real one, Harmon said. A warning or probation is the usual penalty for pulling a false alarm, said Donald Suit, director of the Office of Conduct Standards. He added that he remembered an incident during the past couple years in which several people suffered smoke inhalation in juries because they ignored a real fire alarm after a series of false alarms. Pulling a false alarm is a first degree misdemeanor punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to $lO,OOO, Harmon said. • Labor & Parts • 1 year warranty IBM XT TM • 10am - Bpm Compatible Complete system Turbo Mono sys. $779.00 Color sys. - add $2OO MASTER COMPUTER, Inc. 315 S. Allen Street, Suite 118 State College, PA (814)234-4058 Chile Continued from page 1 tions report called an interrogation center for the Pinochet government, he said. "On a number of occasions, this colony has been accused of being a concentration camp or torture cen ter. As early as 1966, several individu als reported that they had been held in the colony against their will and alleged that they had been abused there before escaping," Rupert said. " "It might be worth remembering that Dr. Weisfeiler was a naturalized U.S. citizen, born in the Soviet Union, that his passport identified the Soviet Union as his birth place, and that he spoke with an obvious accent," he added. Also attending the vigil was Under graduate Student Government Presi dent Todd Sloan, who said the event increased student awareness of the issue because few knew about the missing professor, including himself. Kati O'Neil, co-director of USG's department of International Affairs, said that besides being a symbolic act, the vigil will begin what she hopes is a continous student effort to pressure congress into investigating. But now "we need more University' support to continue what we've started," she said. She hopes committees will be formed to start letter-writing cam paigns and to form a "homebase" to work with congressional leaders . ,BEST Price BEST Quality BEST Service Study-a-thon set By CINDY FREDERICK Collegian Staff Writer Getting motivated to study is difficult for students anytime, but the Golden Key National Honor Society's Study-A-Thon will try to get students hitting the books for a good cause. The society is holding the third annual event April 27 in the HUB and sign-ups are being held through today in the HUB ground floor and in 101 Human Devel opment. Students will study individually or in groups from 6 to 11 p.m. in the HUB Fishbowl or Ballroom. Last year's Study-A-Thon raised Sixty people are now registered. $2,636 for Second Mile, an organiza- Donations, which are based on tion that offers programs ranging pledges, are collected by partici from summer camps to foster pants before the event. A minimum homes for children and adolescents sponsorship requirement of $lO per in need of emotional support. person is due the night of the event. The Second Mile Foundation gets "It's mostly sororities who par very little government funding for ticipate, but some fraternities, spe its programs and relies on private cial interest houses and dorm funding, said Jeff Goldsmith, Sec- floors also get involved," he said. and Mile's director of development Prizes donated by local business and community relations. es will be awarded. Individuals The Study-A-Thon was first sug- raising the most money will be gested by former Undergraduate awarded dinners and gift certifi- Student Government President Da- cates, while the organization rais vid Rosenblatt in 1984 while he was ing the most money will receive a USG senator. The following year, $lOO. COME SEE IBM's Newest Products Featuring The IBM Personal System/2 at the Emma ism =um am= oncom MN= if=slllll =II ll= =NM =NM 1551 Mili=llll, 1111=111511=110 If= =l=lllllft UMW =5 • 111= EEO NM =ll MP =5 =IBM 11111,W' NM= V 5=113 PC FAIR HETZEL UNION BUILDING 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday, April 16th including a special IBM PC CONVERTIBLE STUDENT DRAWING FOR PSU An IBM PC Convertible 5140-002 with LCD Display, Monochrome Display and Adapter, Convertible Printer, Modem, 640 Kb Memory, DOS 3.2, ELECTRIC DESK, Battery Charger and Carrying Case valued at $3,652.95* *IBM List Purchase Price Terms: 1. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. 2. Participant must be a student, matriculated in a degree-granting program at The Pennsylvania State University to be eligible to win. 3. Participant need not be present to win. 4. The odds of winning are determined by the total number of entries. 5. Maximum entries; 4,000, limited to one entry per qualifying participant. 6. Drawing tickets will be available at the IBM PC FAIR Booth April 16, 1987 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tickets must be filled in and returned to IBM PC FAIR booth prior to the drawing. . • 7. Drawing will be held at 4:30 p.m. on April 16, 1987 at the IBM PC FAIR Booth. 8. Winners list will be provided by sending request to IBM ACIS, 472 Wheelers Farm Rd., Milford, CT 06460 (Self-addressed stamped envelope must be provided.) 9. IBM employees are not eligible. 10. No substitute prizes, awards, or cash equivalents will be given. 11. Winners must supply IBM with IRS Form 1099 information. Sponsored by MISC Golden Key took over the project. Study-A-Thon Chairman Glenn Lammi said that when USG ran the event, about 300 participants took part. Last year's Study- A-Thon raised $2,636 for Second Mile. The Second Mile project ... relies on private funding. AY KIIGUT ISI gar lANkakv-ki "To 1V.5 4-rAcos 6 104 k.. 11 ROPICAL HAPPY HOURS 5-7 FROZEN TEMPTATIONS IN A Mug $1.25 SUrr CLUB -1ruz'1"."615.4"1. 11 AK eoz ILL THE DCAIZTYWALte-SHWROARWILL-43E OWN E.rshe)cori cm.poe.v.itiqog = E, The Daily Collegian Thursday, April 16, 1987-3 Contest seeks the very worst SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) As Amer icans rushed their income tax forms into the mail yesterday, many with a literary bent were putting the final, heavy-handed touches to grandilo quent prose to meet the deadline for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. "From now through Easter, I'm just going to be reading and shaking my head," said Scott Rice, the found er of the contest for the worst writing. The contest, in its sixth year, searches out the writer who can come closest to the turgid prose of Victori an author Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton. The overall prize winner, which should be announced in mid-May, wins an Apple Mcintosh computer, Rice said. But it's the glory, not the prize, no doubt, that motivates such writers as Kenneth C. Cundy of Ber keley, Calif., who submitted: "Something about her reminded me of Paris perhaps the intoxicat ing redolence of her Chanel No. 5, or the sleek, exquisite lines of her Oscar de la Renta original, or the scale model of the Eiffel Tower that was strapped to her shoulder." IN A MUCI A c , aS) MD Mktr4 111