Columbia University College of Pharmacy - Apothekan Yearbook (New York, NY)

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PHARMACY In any rational review of the Depart- ment of Pharmacy at Columbia, it should be evident to all at the outset that is is in this realm the student acquires the technical skills and theoretical knowledge incumbent on his profession, as well as the self-assur- ance and ability to assume his place in the professional stratum of our society. This class, as well as those to follow, are indeed fortunate that enlightened edu- cators have assumed the responsibility of training tomorrow ' s pharmacists. The col- leges cannot forever shield their inadequa- cies with pedantic statements that question the integrity of the practioner. However, in this world of ours as it is today, there is no longer justification for the mere simula- tion of ideals, for only those sincere with themselves can hope to achieve lasting satisfaction. The four years spent at Alma Mater were dominated, of necessity, by pharmacy work; and, as is normally the case, the students and faculty injected a full measure of levity into the proceedings to lighten the generally heavy scholastic burden. Consideration will be accorded to all of these phases. Our introduction to pharmacy work was entrusted to Professor Charles Heimerzheim. He was a particularly fortunate choice, since he was well grounded in other scien- tific fields, notably chemistry. This broad- ened his outlook. Many students were not fond of Mr. Heimerzheim, since some of his ill-conceived methods for maintaining stu- dent veracity were by way of insult to the class ' intelligence. However, we feel it can be honestly said that he served phar- macy well; for our experience has indicated that the information he imparted remained with us throughout our college careers. In that first year of pharmaceutical study, the fundamentals of technology were taught to us through the expedient of pre- paring official preparations. The more vital aspect of the work came in the second semester, where we crossed the Rubicon into the land of the mortar and pestle. Professor Heimerzheim ' s constant harangues did little to soothe irritated nerves. But through this media of admonishing lectures, he hoped to instill a mature approach to pharmaceutical techniques. The second year proved to be the un- doing of many of our classmates, and a goodly number were missing in September, That Priceless Ingredient. 1948. It seemed as if we were in a state of nature, competing with one another for a survival of the fittest. Much of this changed in the junior year. Dr. Leuallen assumed the chairmanship of the Department; almost immediately there was a metamorphosis in the attitude of the students, as well as in the pharmacy staff itself. Mr. Martin Katz, an eager, recently graduated young gentle- man, instructed us in the ordinarily tedious course covering official galenical prepara- tions. But due to his extraordinary tolerance and the class ' ebullience, a pleasant term was spent — with the accompanying result that a good deal of pharmacy was learned, even in this relatively unrestrained atmos- phere. Joseph Kanig was assigned the difficult task of teaching the Class of ' 50 in the vagaries of incompatibilities. Mr. Kanig did a creditable job indeed. Instead of relying on the mere listing of these pharmaceutical stumbling-blocks, he presented an intelli- gent discussion concerning the possibility of their development and the remedies to be applied. In the laboratory, the scholars finally began to feel their oats. Many pre- scriptions were compounded. It can be said that many of these were of dubious value. From a practical standpoint, the majority served to illustrate various pitfalls likely to occur in compounding. Also introduced in this course were the new practical ex- aminations initiated by the Department. These were unique in that an attempt was made to simulate State Board conditions. They served another valuable purpose by