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 Hum
dred and Forty-four Inches OF
Skin Removed From Her Body
to he 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 K. Berger, the well known
cigar salesman, of 419 King street.
has now about recovered from the
operation which she underwent two
weeks ago to give. up l44 square
inches of skin that was grated up
on the flesh of her little sister,
Eleanor, the three-year-old child who
lost her right leg and a part OF her
left foot through being run over
bv a trolley car in King street on
the evening of September l9. Ihe
victim of the trolley car accident Is
also improving and was on Sunday
brought home from the Riverside
Infrmary.
For fortitude and self-sacrifice,
the act of little Miss Mamie Berger
deserves a high place among the an
nails CT heroism. About two weeks
ago the family physician of Mr..
Berger announced that while the
wound on the right limb of little
Eleanor was healing we'll the lett
foot showed startling condition, for
the flesh proved unable to grow It's
skin again. Therefore it would be
necessary to try to save the chlld
from horrible suffering, and give her
as good foot as possible by attempt
ing very difficult surgical opera
grating skin upon the stump
Without hesitation the elder SIS
ter, of the little girl, Mamie Berg
er, begged that she be allowed ta
provide the necessary skin. She IS
healthy girl, weighing some Ito
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 to
the Riverside Inirmary two weeks
ago today, and proceeded to remove
enough skin to furnish a covering
for the foot and a portion Of the
! left leg of. Eleanor.
Twelve strips of skin were re-
moved from the thighs and upper
limbs of Mamie Berger. Each strip
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 to
leave the infrmary. She suffered
great pain, but was encouraged Dy
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 liz.
tie more than for the past few days
and will eventually, it is thought.
have new skin in the place Of that
given up.
The physicians report that the
grating operation promises to be
successful. It's outcome is being
watched with keen interest by the
physicians of the city. Every other
day the little girl has to be given
chloroform for the dressing of the
grated skin. She seems to have a
chance now to recover from the
shock of the injuries, although for
some time after the accident it was
not thought she could survive. Her
right leg was amputated above the
knee. The left foot was badly mash
! ed
This afternoon in telling Of the
incident, Mamie Berger did not seem
to realize that she had done any
thing heroic Her whole thought
was on the need of her little sister,
and possible benefit to follow the op-
Grafton. She said the cutting away
of her skin did not hurt much. !"