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

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Sam ' s Boy. All these fond memories of chemistry study fall pleasantly on the receptive cen- ters of your brain. But shortly, other thoughts begin recrystallizing to replace them. What then would be more natural to think of after chemistry than another exact and rigorous science encountered in Columbia ' s hallowed confines — pharmacy, of course. Whatever may be said in criticism of Pharmacy, the integrity, preciseness, and technical achievement of the students in the dis- pensing laboratory can never be questioned. Guided lovingly by the gentle hand of Professor Heimerzheim, the charitable Class ol ' 50 was introduced to pharmacy in the raw. Standing there in front of the class, the pedagogue presented an inspiring picture of a man, Grecian in stature, noble of mind and true in heart. Never was it he to ques- tion a fellow human ' s honesty. However, he felt it only his duty to examine all para- phernalia brought by the students into an examination, just to remove temptation from their path. Such suspect items as Kleenex and kilabendals were thoroughly inspected by him. The students, of course, appreciated this interest and their one goal was the attain- ment of the teacher ' s ideal. Especially in laboratory were these ambitions manifested. Each man attacked his work with sincerity and apptitude, never stooping to the low practice of double-quantity manufacturing, rumored to be extant at that time. In all his labors, Professor Heimerzheim had at his side Joseph Kanig, B.S. in Pharmacy and The Spirit ol Modern Pharmacy. a renown label collector in his own right. An astute judge of criminal psychology, it was said in reverent tones, that this same Joseph Kanig once single-handedly cap- tured and brought to justice that most in- famous of public enemies, the desperado that q.s ' d in the bottle. You recalled that it was in this laboratory also that Maurice Solomon perfected the now widely used tecn- nique of decanting the supernatant liquid. This method has been found particularly useful in compounding the prescriptions tested that same morning by Dr. Brown. From here it is only a jump to thoughts of pleasant moments in Mr. Hoffman ' s Jun- ior Pharmacy lectures. For a reason unfath- omable to you, several students persisted in calling this gentleman Mr. Katz. Fortunately he took no notice of these confused individ- uals. Following the exchange of pleasantries with Mr. Hoflman, the Class of ' 50 encount- ered Joseph Kanig again in Junior Dispens- ing. Now an M.S. in Pharmacy and a distinguished purveyor of fine enteric coat- ings; we find that all the virtues of the man we had known as sophomores had not been affected a whit during his phenominal rise in the faculty. As particularly fas- cinating during this semester, remember your introduction to the authentic, prac- tical dispensing exams. These were note- worthy, not only because of the sensible choice of common prescriptions compound- ed every day in drug store practice, but

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you allow at least a tull blank page in your notes for the material you missed during this interval. But then again, those lectures really weren ' t so bad; for even if Dr. DiSom- ma did proceed rather hurriedly, he com- pensated for this with the clarity and lucidity of his delivery. Several quite impor- tant organic laboratory procedures were developed by the precocious Class o ' 50. For example, it was proven conclusively that if 5 grams of material was the quantity specified by Feiser to produce a satisfactory yield, and the student quite accidentally weighed out 50 grams, a yield would be obtained which, if mixed with equal quanti- ties of the pure product being prepared, would be sufficient to give a 75 per cent yield. (The technical data explaining this theory may be obtained by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to H. Rosenblum Laboratories on Second Avenue and Second Street, New York City.) As a result of sterling performances in organic chemistry, seven students went to do work on the Uptown Campus during the ensueing spring and summer months. Mister Phaimacy The accuracy, precision, and meticu- lousness which were indicative of your laboratory work was first developed in the inorganic analytical chemistry courses. Here it was that you rapturously calibrated your first set of weights — a genuine, standard- ized, registered $5.00 set of weights, which was sold to the Class ol ' 50 at the special price of $13.00 per box — this amazing feat perpetrated by Little Nick ' s boss. Can you ever forget how helpful Professor Samuel Liberman was touring the lab, ever alert to aid a faltering analyst with the refrain: you ' re wasting your time. In the rat-race which was officially designated Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory, it became apparent that all this talk about preconceived results and calculated answers was erroneous. For in that lab it was shown beyond a shadow of a doubt, that careful work, astuteness, and general application were the determining factors in passing the unknowns. As final evidence of this, Donald Kornreich received A on his phosphate as Seymour Blaug, and all he stood for, bit the dust with an F. A refreshing introduction to college chemistry was offered the neophyte Class of ' 50 by Doctor Bailey. In all memory- searching, it is difficult to find something caustic to say about her. So why comment beyond the point of expressing sound grate- fulness. Quief Students!

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Th» Madcaps (Jeff fo right): Allen, Pottnoy, Galmsky. Glick, Grisef and Galli — (missing: Solomon). also because of the calm and relaxed atti- tude engendered in the scholar by Mr. Kanig. One especially tricky prescription that comes to mind called for a pint of dis- tilled water to be dispensed in a clean, dry, well-filled, heat-resistant, and dark colored 12 ounce bottle. It seems that the physician intended this Rx as a placebo with no therapeulic effect, but most stu- dents overlooked the obvious incompati- bility and suspended the precipitate with Bentonite of Magma. Of all the intelligent young men in that class, you could recall that only one, Murray Yarin, realized that the distilled water had to be made isotonic with the urine to prevent the development of gastro-intestinal and renal irritation. No amount of retrospection with regard to college days would be complete, you feel, without recalling fondly the benovolent Randolph Halsey. Here was a man to be reckoned with, thought the class during his first lecture back in 1947. How right they were. Lecturing on the sex life of the amoe- ba, drawing the sexual stage of the para- moecium with his right hand, and illus- trating sex life in general with his left — all this concurrently — Dr. Halsey endeavored to educate these budding pharmacists in biology. With infinite patience that was always his hallmark, he introduced you to your first kitten. And the Class of ' 50 felt that it finally had arrived. With the full sophomore year in which to recover, they again met Professor Halsey in junior Physiology. One of the few shame- ful acts that you recall, occurred in the Physiology lab. Arthur Galli, failing to kill a frog by pithing it, drew a revolver and pumped six shots into it. The class was shocked, but Galli observing that the frog was still sensitive, fearlessly plunged a Bunsen burner into its mouth and gassed it to death. But no more of these gory details and fond recollections. Dr. Halsey, in his form-fitting lab coat (with just traces of red and blue stripes here and there for color) They found a home in pharmacy.