April 16, 1997

Baseball marks 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut as first black to play for modern major league team, rite at New York Mets-Los Angeles Dodgers game, New York City; Robinson's widow, Rachel, and daughter, Sharon, join Pres Clinton, other dignitaries for tribute; acting Comr Bud Selig lauds Robinson; retires his number; few in big crowd stay to see Mets win game, 5-0; map; photos (M)

Colgate-Palmolive Co executive Craig Tate is killed and three other people are injured when their helicopter crashes into East River after lifting off from Manhattan heliport; police officials say pilot and co-pilot escaped on their own, but two passengers were underwater for 10 to 15 minutes before being pulled from helicopter; map; photo (M)

Knoll Pharmaceutical Co lets University of California at San Francisco researchers led by Dr Betty J Dong publish study funded by predecessor firm, Boots Pharmaceuticals Inc, that found firm's Synthroid was no more effective than less expensive generic versions of hormone levothyroxine for many people with underactive thyroids; Journal of American Medical Association publishes study; scores firm's drive since 1990 to discredit work and university's failure to defend academic freedom, editorial written by Dr Drummond Rennie, San Francisco faculty member; publishes letter from Knoll president Carter H Eckert apologizing for blocking publication; Eckert holds study was flawed, interview (L)

Special report on push for much wider availability of defibrillators, machines that deliver electric shock to restart heart; American Heart Association holds device should be available for use by variety of nonmedical people because emergency medical squads often arrive too late to save cardiac arrest victims; notes new versions can decide whether shock is needed and give simple voice instructions; Food and Drug Administration has not considered whether device is safe and effective for public use and state emergency directors oppose widespread use; photos (L)

Fears that inflation is building up were eased somewhat after the Government reported that consumer prices rose just one-tenth of 1 percent in March. The bond and stock markets, which have been troubled by the prospect of greater inflation and higher interest rates, rallied on the report. Bond prices gained, pushing their yields down to where they were a week ago. The Dow Jones industrial average surged 135.26 points, or 2.1 percent -- its second-largest point gain in history, although much less significant in percentage terms.