The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-11-17
A HEROIC GIRL
Endured Great Suffering to HoIp
Her Younger Sister.
SAVES CRILD'S FOOT

By Consenting to Have One Hun
dred and Forty-four Inches OF
Skin Removed From Her Body
to be Grated on the Little Ones
Body After an Accident.
Charleston, Nov. 14.-The Even
ing Post says Mamie Berger, four
teen years old, the daughter OF Mr'
Martin X. Berger, the we'll known
cigar salesman, of 419 King street
has now about recovered from the
operation which she underwent two
weeks ago to give up 144 sQuar:
inches of skin that was grated up
on the flesh of her little sister
Eleanor, the three-year-old child Whc
lost her right leg and part OF hel
left foot through being run over
by a trolley car in King street on
the evening of September 19. The
victim of the trolley car accident Is
also improving and was on Sunday
brought home from the Riverside
Infirmary.
For fortitude and self-sacrltlce
the act of little Miss Mamie Berge'
deserves a high place among the an
nails of heroism. About two weeks
ago the family physician OF Mr.
Berger announced that while tht
wound on the right limb of little
Eleanor was healing well the lef'
foot showed a startling condition, TO!
the flesh proved unable to grow 1t;
skin again. Therefore it would bf
necessary to try to save the chic
from horrible suffering, and give hel
as good foot as possible by attempt
ing a very difficult surgical opera
tion-grafting skin upon the stump
Without hesitation the elder Sis
ter, of the little girl, Mamie Berg
er, begged that she be allowed tt
provide the necessary skin. She u
healthy girl, weighing some 17C
pounds, and she was glad to do any
thing possible to help her little sis.
ter. Accordingly, after consultation
the physician took the brave girl tt
the Riverside Infirmary two weeks
ago today, and proceeded to remove
enough skin to furnish covering
for the foot and portion of the
i left leg of Eleanor.
! Twelve strips of sim were re-
moved from the thighs and upper
limbs of Mamie Berger. Each strir
was six by two inches in dimensions
It took some two hours to perform
the operation. AS the skin was re-
moved it was placed upon the flesh
of the younger child, and bound into
position.
For a week after giving up thE
skin, Mamie Berger was unable t.
leave the infirmary. She suffered
great pain, but was encouraged by
the thought that she had done some
thing for her younger sister, who was
so horribly mutilated on the evening
of September 10. Today Mamie
Berger was able to walk about lit
tie more than for the past few day:
and will eventually, it is thought
have new skin in the place of thai
given up.
The physicians report that the
grating operation promises to b:
successful. Its outcome is being
watched with keen interest by the
physicians of the city. Every Other
day the little girl has to be giver
chloroform for the dressing of tn,
grated skin. She seems to have {
chance now to recover from the
shock of the injuries, although fo1
some time after the accident it wa:
not thought she could survive. Hel
right leg was amputated above the
knee. The left foot was badly mash
ed.
This afternoon in telling of tht
incident, Mamie Berger did not seen
to realize that she had done any
thing heroic. Her whole though
was on the need of her little sister
and possible benefit to follow the OF
Grafton. She said the cutting awai
of her skin did not hurt much.