A world-renowned Austrian scientist, Dr. Fried-rich Kniezanek, was in a serious condition at Beilinson Hospital outside Tel Aviv today, after a dramatic rescue from certain death through swift action by members of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization and Israeli health officials.
Dr. Kniezanek is an expert on studying snakes. He was “milking” an asp in the desert in Jordan, across from Israel’s frontier, yesterday, when he was bitten by the viper. There was no serum available on the Jordanian side, and some serum was rushed to the border by the Israeli authorities, who had been notified by UNTSO. However, the Jordanians refused to accept the serum, saying there was “no responsible official” on hand to deal with the Israelis even on a life-saving mission.
Israeli authorities dispatched a helicopter to the border, while the UNTSO personnel brought the scientist across the frontier. Dr. Kniezanek was then flown to Beilinson Hospital. Physicians at the hospital said today his condition was “very serious” because too much time had elapsed before doctors could inject the serum into the man suffering from snake-bite.
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