[mod_python] O/S SendFile call

I read in the apache docs that if possible you should try and have an O/S version that has the sendfile call so that apache doesn't have to do a read and a send of files.

I am writing a python handler that has to go out on a network, find a file and then pass then return that file to the client browser.  Right now I'm reading in the file and then writing it the output stream.  It seems that there should be a much better way to do this like apache does it with sendfile.  Is it possible to use this (the sendfile os call) from inside my python handler?

OLIVER