European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 06, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 the stars and stripes Friday december 6, 1985 surgeon who left Bethesda says he s very competent Washington n it an army surgeon who icel the troubled Bethesda naval Hospital recently after his surgical technique was criticized testified that he was a very competent surgeon who was challenged by less qualified subordinates. The surgeon col. Michael j. Barry now stationed at the Walter Reed army medical Center Here testified tuesday that he was certified As a cardio thoracic surgeon by the  National medical Board 11 years ago and had been practising his specially Ever since. In All that Lime he said he had Only a single pulmonary death among s patients. By contrast he said the two surgeons who criticized his surgical technique As rough and his conduct of surgery As disorganized were Noi even Board certified in general surgery let alone cardio thoracic surgery. The generalizations made by Junior workers on the staff and by a partially trained resident Are difficult to refute he said. I think i am a very competent  Barry testified at a pretrial hearing in inc Case of cmdr. Donal m. Billig of the Navy former head of the cardio thoracic division at Bethesda who is charged with negligence that caused the deaths of five patients and with dereliction of duty for performing Complex heart operations without appropriate supervision. Lawyers for Billig brought Barry s problems into inc Case in an attempt to show that some of the Bethesda doctors who accused Billig of incompetence also later criticized Barry s techniques suggesting thai the critics might be chronic malcontents. However the tactics inevitably raised questions about Barry As Well and defense lawyers tuesday gave him Broad scope to defend himself. Barry told the hearing that he arrived at Bethesda about july i after serving at Letterman army medical Center in san Francisco where he was performing about 100 heart operations a year. At Bethesda where he was being groomed to take Over Billig s former Job As head of the cardio thoracic surgery division he said he performed about 30 cardiac operations and 15 other operations in a three month period of observation. However at the end of inc observation period Barry was not Given a permanent appointment because of the questions raised by his Junior colleagues. Instead he was Given the option of undergoing further observation at be Thesda or moving to Walter Reed he chose Walter Reed. His departure the second loss of a Board certified car Dio thoracic surgeon from Bethesda within a year caused officials at the Hospital to terminate their training pro Gram for cardio thoracic surgeons effective dec. 31, for Lack of anyone qualified to run it. Barry challenged the allegations his critics made about purported surgical shortcomings and stressed that Bethesda officials said the death and sickness Rale among his patients has never been questioned. He indicated that he had a person Lily conflict with one of his critics it. Cmdr. Phyllis Edwards a resident in cardio thoracic surgery a Bethesda. Oscar a in no actress Anne Baxter near death after suffering stroke new York up Anne Baxter the Oscar win Ning actress whose movie and television career has Span Ned nearly a half Century suffered a stroke on a City so real and was near death thursday in a Manhattan Hospital. A spokeswoman for Lenox Hill Hospital said Baxter 62, was in critical condition in the  unit. Joyce Wagner Baxter s spokeswoman said the actress suffered a stroke on fashionable Madison Avenue wednes Day morning while on the Way to her Hairdresser. She was alone Al the time Wagner said. The publicist denied reports Baxter who was on two week break from her filming schedule for the Abc to series hotel was brain dead. Wagner said doctors were con ducting tests thursday to see what the damage  she said Baxter s three Daugh ters and friends visited the Acle Cosanne Bull to wednesday night and thursday. Wagner said the actress arrived on the East coast nov. 23 to spend the thanksgiving Holiday Al her Home in Easton Conn. She was in new York to visit with friends wednesday night and was scheduled to Clurn to los Angeles tuesday to begin filming a new episode of he television series Wagner said. Baxter known to Hollywood As a refined bul Oflyn adventurous woman played a variety of roles throughout her career ranging from a mischievous villainess to the Beautiful egyptian Queen in the ten  she shocked Hollywood when in 1959, she quit acting to marry australian cattle rancher Randolph gait and moved to his 36.000-acre spread 10 Miles from the near est neighbor. Four years later she was Back saying she had been unable to handle the isolation and  Baxter won an Academy award As Best supporting actress for her performance in the 1946 adaptation of Somerset maugham s the razor s Edge in which she played an unhappy american girl drowning her trouble with drink in Paris. She was nominated four years later for an Oscar for her portrayal of inc scheming Young actress in a labout  most recently Baxter played inc wealthy widow who owns the hotel on Abc s hit series. She replaced Belle Davis in the series when Davis suffered a stroke. Baxter was born May 7, 1923, in Michigan City ind and was raised in Bronxville and surrounding areas of new York. She made her Dybul on Broadway Al age 13 in seen but not  followed by an appearance in the Pla there s always a  Baxter was Given a Long lorm Deal Al 20lh Century Fox and made her first film Twenty mule Tea starring Wallace Beery in 1940. Navy to allow contractor to bid Washington a the Navy in a major break for the general dynamics corp., has decided to pave the Way for inc company to bid on a new group of nuclear powered attack submarines despite its suspension on tues Day from receiving any new government contracts. The decision made wednesday by assistant Navy Secretary Everett Pyatt and confirmed by Navy Secretary John f. Lehman was justified on grounds that the Navy cannot afford to have the construction of attack submarines become a sole source  Only two companies can produce the so called los an Geles class boats the electric boat division of general dynamics and the Newport Newi shipbuilding and dry Dock co. The subs Are designed for use in Bunting soviet submarines. According to a knowledgeable Navy official who asked not to be named Pyatt decided to maintain general dynamics chances to bid on the next group of four attack submarines by extending indefinitely a Friday deadline for the submission of Best and final  obviously if the suspension goes for an extended period the Silva lion might change the source said. But the problem we re faced with is if we Don t extend he deadline we re facing a sole source bid. We consider this Competition to be very healthy. And Vrej be Bee suspended because of misconduct on an army contract Lehman in a prepared Salem Cal adamantly denied the action was designed to protect general dynamics " this is an action to protect the Public interest that sitcom Petizon and her fore lower prices in shipbuilding h would be foolish of us to award a sole source Compart i unto spite another Contr actor he said. Just general dynamics was suspended from receiving an new government contracts on tuesday just one Day after the company and four of its current or former exe a Jav were Misc cd on fraud charges. The allegations involved he a Uschwa Ramg of Cost overruns in producing prototype of an army air defense gun known As the sgt York stateside americans Are increasing use of Corn sweeteners . Says Washington a for the first Lime in history americans arc consuming More sweeteners made from Corn than from sugar an agriculture department re port said. Corn sweeteners in 1985 will be Abdul 50 percent of . Caloric sweetener use compared with nearly 49 per  for sugar the report said. The remainder Comet from Honey and edible syrups. Most of the Corn sweetener is High fructose Corn Sweet ener which has gained popularity among soft drink Mak ers in recent years. It also includes glucose and dextrose mixtures. According to the report which was presented at the department s annual Outlook conference the total us. Consumption of Corn sweeteners this year is estimated at 7.669,000 tons on a dry basis up from 6,844,000 tons in 1984. The use of refined sugar in 1985 was put at 7,477,000 tons compared with 8,008,000 tons last year. Of the 1985 Corn sweetener total High fructose com sweetener is expected to make up 5,100.000 tons up from 4,300,000 tons in 1984. Average aids patient in Calif hospitalized 3 times study finds san Francisco a the average aids patient in California is hospitalized three times during the 18 months Between the Onset of the illness and death and his medical care costs nearly $60.000, a new slate study shows. Treating the slate s aids patients Cost $55 million during the past fiscal year with private health insurance programs paying $50.5 million and the slate s medi Cal paying $4.5 million according to the study by Gary Mcholland an actuary with the slate department of health services. Aids or acquired immune deficiency syndrome is an affliction in which the body s immune system becomes unable to resist disease. Aids caused by a virus was tint identified in male homosexuals Haemophiliacs and intravenous drug abusers. Police commissioner in Texas forced to resign by judge Brownsville Texas up a judge has forced inc Boss Hogg of Combes to resign As police commissioner pending his sentencing on a conflict of interest conviction. District judge Darrell Hester said he would place John Kirby in jail until sentencing on Jan. 17 if the City coun Cilman did not resign. Prosecutors said Kirby used his appointed Job As police commissioner to operate a Speed trap and drum up Busi Ness for his Tow truck company. Combes a Rural suburb of Harlingen gets most of its municipal Revenue through fines from motor Isle on . 77, a main thoroughfare in and Oul of the Rio grand Valley. Assistant District attorney Rick Lara portrayed Kirby As a frustrated would be cop running around with a gun and a badge although he was not a certified peace officer. Lara likened Kirby to the Boss Hogg character in the television series. Dukes of Haz?ard." Judy Roberts a former Combes City Secretary testified she was depositing $17,000 to $20,000 a month in traffic lines netted by police stopping motorists on the express explorer scouts pig statuettes being hogged by police officers Louisville Colo. A orders from policemen across the country have deluged a Post of explorer scout Selling Ceramic statuettes of police  explorer port403 has sold about 200 of the 15-Inch-tall pig statues or p Gay Banks for $25 apiece and about 75 percent of the sales have been to police. The pigs Are customize with the officer s name badge number and shoulder Patch and curls Are painted on the female version the explorers also offer Hambo to in Ireland Caps and Hambo Coffee cups arc next. Orders have come in from police and sheriffs depart m?tvn�hlca�0 Cleveland Dade county. Fla. Beverly Hills Calif. And the Texas Highway patrol. The explorers 13 Young men and two Young women plan to use their profits to go to Disneyland next sum Mer and Atland the National Law enforcement explorer convention in Seattle. Tha rest of the proceeds will go into the Post s scholarship fund