Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery - Dental Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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SENIORS

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Upstairs in the Pathology lecture room we had pre- views of coming attractions that we would study in the lab below. The door was slammed locked, the lights were turned out, the projector was turned on, and the professor ' s commentary began: Our slides for today are on Hodgkin ' s Disease. This disease is distinguished by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells in the blood stream. Let ' s find one on the slide. A small, hazy cell was pointed out. This doesn ' t appear too clear. Let ' s switch to high power. A larger, but hazier cell was flashed on the screen. I think we ' ll see it better on the photomicrograph. The other projector was turned on. No, this doesn ' t reproduce the cellular stain accurately . . . Well, there should be a good slide downstairs in the view box . . . Ultimately, the sophomore microscopists scanned their individual faded slides in search of another mys- tery to reproduce with smudge sticks, and scientifically sharpened pencils. Final exams came in full force and at long last the big theory courses were coming to a close. Mean- while, back in the dental department, adding machines were computing the results of Operative Technique, and x-ray machines marked C B models in boxes. When all the tallies were taken, and the smoke in the staff room vanished, we toured the dental clinic for a good location at which to set up our Junior Year Dental practice. The blissful third year began with the bright pros- pect of a permanent parking space for our operative kits. As time went along, we learned to prepare teeth, impression mouths, fill cavities, and reserve our place on the instructor ' s waiting line. The sophomore lectures on sharpening pathology drawing pencils were replaced by lectures on sharpen- ing bench knives. (Professional development.) Occlusal Dynamics provided five ingredients every operator needs to achieve success — the L.A. Cohn Quint. But for the exam our class came up with forty- two different guesses on the meaning of cusp warpage. ilSilli Initial Incision Face Bow (After the exam, our instructors offered three more guesses.) Operative provided ten items to keep on the bracket tables. (It was disquieting to learn that the syllabus was not one of those items. ) Perio taught us three contraindications to the thirty- two unit fixed splint. (I think one contraindication was a condition called Anodontia.) I vaguely remember that in the Junior Year our class pooled all the equipment and instruments that we owned. The names that had been scratched on den- tal items no longer mattered; with fraternal feelings we helped ourselves to anything we needed. The only trouble with the system was that the wear and tear of passing things from hand to hand took a heavy toll, and many fragile spatulas fell out of circulation. In the Junior Year we yearned for larger baseplates and smaller anterior porcelain teeth. But in the Senior Year our yearnings expanded to include one dental technician, one secretary, and one dental hygienist for each student. Because of these needs, some students raised the roof. In response, the faculty raised the re- quirements. The Senior Class was divided into four groups. Jack Rosen was surprised to find that the third group was assigned to him. One spastic student in the fourth group saved time by teaching his patients to set up his bracket table during the nine o ' clock lecture. Then he lunged to the lead of his group by doing a direct oral wax-up of a partial denture harness. Asiatic flu epidemics, subway strikes, disappoint- ments and cancellations do not help seniors meet their requirements. In the throes of those tribulations, the Class of 1958. like many classes before us, found that most of those fearful figures in long white sleeves who stalked the clinic floor — men like Ed Cain — were not just supervisors. They were also our maestros and friends. Through their example, we learned that good fellowship and good dentistry are inseparable. Earl M. Warman

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James Amphlett Being at the head of the class roster has led to some embarrassing early mornings for Jim, but he has man- aged to survive them in one way or another. Coming to us from the University of Connecticut, where he also did graduate work in bacteriology (in order to be thor- oughly prepared for Solonology ), Jim has made his presence known here at Columbia. He is a recipient of a United States Public Health Service Research Grant, and often can be seen in the clinic serving as the subject for his own experiments. As Dr. Portway ' s assistant he has gained invaluable experience which is manifested in the inlays he has placed in his lovely wife Virginia ' s mouth. The senior year has been an extremely joyous one for the Amphletts, being blessed with the birth of their beautiful daughter, Valerie. During these four years, Jim has also been an active member of Psi Omega fraternity and is a holder of a Dean ' s Scholarship. Having completed his military obligation before entering dental school, Jim looks to- wards graduation with one eye on general practice, which he hopes will soon follow.