Have been reading a similar story in the latest issue of Time. Sorry...been the physical issue, but I am sure it must be online somewhere..go Google!
Deepa. On 9/2/07, Udhay Shankar N <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/08/28/tailless.dolphin.ap/index.html?eref=rss_tech > > New prosthetic may help dolphin, troops > > * Story Highlights > * Prosthetic specialist developing new fin for injured dolphin > * Winter lost her fin after getting tangled in a crab trap > * She's the only dolphin known to have survived losing fin > * Technology created for Winter also helped airman, who lost legs in Iraq > > CLEARWATER, Florida (AP) -- Prosthetic specialist Kevin Carroll > travels the country tackling the toughest human amputation cases, so > it was only natural that he was also drawn to Winter -- the only > known dolphin to survive the loss of her powerful tail flukes. > > "My heart went out to her, and I was thinking I could probably put a > tail on her," said Carroll, vice president of prosthetics at Hanger > Orthopedic Group, Inc. > > Recreating one of the most powerful swimming mechanisms in nature > turned out to be a lot tougher than expected. But after months of > experimenting, Carroll and a unique team of experts are well on their > way to, as one of them puts it, "MacGyvering" a tail for Winter. > > Unlike the 1980s cult TV hero "MacGyver," who worked his way out of > tight spots with everyday items, much of what Winter's team is > creating is first-of-its-kind stuff. > > "We put together a team who doesn't know what 'no' means," said Mike > Walsh, Winter's lead veterinarian and a program manager at the > University of Florida's aquatic animal health program. "As long as > you're willing to try, you can make a big difference." > > Lessons can also be learned that will help human amputees. Carroll, > for example, found the gel sleeve he developed to cling to > 18-month-old Winter's tail without irritating her sensitive skin also > soothed a painful prosthesis for Air Force Senior Airman Brian > Kolfage, who lost both legs and his right hand in a 2004 mortar > attack in Iraq. The sleeve sticks to Winter's tail with suction the > same way a rubber surgical glove grips a human hand. > > "When he tried to walk with prosthetics, you had these dagger-like > boney growths sticking into the socket. It was very painful," Carroll > said. "Brian's situation was similar to Winter's. Winter helped him > and hopefully she'll help a lot of others as well." > > Carroll, an Orlando resident whose company is based in Bethesda, > Maryland, said he is already thinking of new materials to make human > prosthetics tougher in saltwater. And Walsh said the research on > Winter is invaluable for understanding dolphin physiology and the > treatment of back injuries, which can occur when dolphins are beached. > > Winter lives at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a nonprofit marine > animal rescue center and popular local attraction located in the Gulf > Coast city's former water treatment plant. > > She was a frail, dehydrated 3-month-old when she came to the hospital > in December 2005. A fisherman found her tangled in the buoy line of a > crab trap in Indian River Lagoon near Cape Canaveral. The line cut > off the blood supply to her tail and it slowly fell off like shreds > of paper as the aquarium team worked to save her life. > > Winter learned how to swim without her tail, which is used for > propulsion -- amazing her handlers with a unique combination of moves > that resemble an alligator's undulating swimming style and a shark's > side-to-side tail swipes. Winter uses her flippers, normally employed > for steering and braking, to get moving. > > But her unique swimming style is sure to lead to spinal problems. She > already sometimes bends her spine in an unnatural curve. Trainers > work with Winter, now 6-feet-long and a healthy 180 pounds on an > extensive physical therapy regimen, bending the tail up and down, to > keep the right muscles strong. > > Walsh said allowing Winter to work out daily with a prosthetic tail > may keep her from deteriorating. It is unlikely she will wear the > tail full-time. > > It's uncharted territory. Fuji, an elderly dolphin that lives at an > aquarium in Japan, has a prosthesis, but it is attached to the > remaining part of his tail. Both of Winter's tail flukes and > peduncle, a wrist-like joint that allows a dolphin tail to move up > and down, were lost. > > Winter's team also has to figure out how to keep the prosthesis from > sliding off as the tail creates enough force to propel a 400-pound > dolphin out of the water and 10 feet into the air. > > "Every step we take is unknown," Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO David > Yates said. "Another group came to us, analyzed her and said ... they > didn't know how to make the tail stay on. But Kevin came to us and > said we've got the technology. We can do this." > > Carroll, who like the others on Winter's team volunteers his time and > resources, began by brainstorming elaborate vacuum attachments, but > eventually settled on the simple silicone gel sleeve. > > Handlers slide the sleeve over Winter's stump and move her tail in up > and down motions, teaching her how to swim like a normal dolphin when > the prosthesis is attached. > > It is a slow process. They don't want Winter to balk at the strange > new attachment. > > "I thought I could go down, cast her (tail stump) and put the tail on > her," Carroll said. "I didn't understand the training that had to go > with each fitting of the tail. Working with Winter, we're on her > time, not my time. If she's ready to do something, we move forward. > It's the same way working with a child. It takes a lot of time." > > The team plans to keep socializing Winter with new pieces until, at a > point yet to be determined, they will attach the first artificial > tail flukes. They plan to start out with small flukes that create a > little resistance. > > "She is the perfect dolphin for what she has to do," Yates said, > watching Winter toy with a herring in her tank. "A lot of dolphins > might reject this up front. But every step of the way she has > excelled in everything we have asked her to do." > > One day soon, Winter's new prosthetic should have her keeping pace > with the aquarium's two rambunctious male dolphins, Nicholas and > Indy. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend > > > -- > ((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com)) > > >
