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

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1955 Four years, when viewed as the future, appears almost an eternity, as it did to us as Freshmen look- ing ahead to May of 1959. Now we are seniors on the eve of graduation, and in retrospect our years at Columbia seem to have fled by with unimaginable speed. Looking back, it is difficult to remember our experiences, both tragic and comic, in the same sharp detail with which we knew them as they oc- curred. And so, with the edge of our memories blurred by time ' s passing, let us look at the past through the wrong end of that telescope which is our recall. That first morning in anatomy lab when, to the unfamiliar faces of our classmates and instructors, ten expressionless gentlemen were added whom we would soon get to know inside out. Within a few short weeks we had become adept at dissection, chess and the Goren point count. Subsequently, the anatomy lab was transformed into a Biochem lec- ture room (student lounge) and both our auditory and olfactory capacities were sorely tested. In physi- ology we learned of the various neurologic syn- dromes and so were born Tonic and Clonic, the Spastic Twins. Neuroanatomy came and passed without that blinding flash of enlightenment we had been promised. In the fond memory department we will all remember Dr. Arden ' s gracious party at which we were able to meet both faculty and fellow students on a very informal basis. Our summer vacation that year was slightly marred by dire predictions of the upperclassmen of what was to come. The words Sophomore Year were enough to strike terror into the heart of every student. First came pathology and the class re- sponded with the fighting phrase , Let ' s go down for coffee. Sleep-laden eyes were bombarded by faded slides showing myriads of round cell infiltrations. Meanwhile, in the bactee lab, time was conscienti- ously spent raising chickens and dodging flying text- books. An incredibly vicious breed of rabbit were specially prepared for our amusement. It was in the third week of dental materials that the class finally unlocked the door so that Dr. Ayres could begin his lectures, which were delivered to the sporadic rhythm of riccocheting lead shot. It was during this course that class solidarity reached its peak. Phar- macology was succinctly introduced to us by Dr. Wang. We were gratified to learn that we were not to be held responsible for 231 pages of the 1900 page Goodman and Gilman. This meant however, that we would be totally unprepared to practice on victims of Tsutsugamushi fever, malaria and anti- mony poisoning. Trembling with fear, the class awaited the onslaught of the awesome Dr. Bartle- stone. In stature and mien he was truly awesome, but in sheer dedication, teaching ability and manner he proved to be one of the most respected of all our instructors. It was as sophomores that we had the first real look at our raison d ' etre : the teeth. Large and small, typodont or green, we soon grew to know them — and with them the words and phrases which had meant so little to us as uncomprehending fresh- men took on a new significance. Words like bridge, porosity and hacker soon gained common usage. 22

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GRADUATES 21

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With the third year came a change in atmosphere. No longer could 68 cents solve the problems en- countered in operative dentistry. The pulp emerged from the microscopes and appeared in the floors of several cavity preparations. After a year of hearing about pockets we at last entered the full scale war on calculus. Armed with curettes, scalers, bone powder and hemostat, we pioneered under- graduate gingivectomy. In prosthetics, time was spent trying to remove compound (green and red), rubber base, alginate and the innuendos of Dr. Pleasure and his magic knife. It was tricky trying to keep from being cut or punctured in the path of the onrushing Mrs. Moore as we stuffed our pockets with instruments that didn ' t belong in our kits. While we gaily frolicked and gambolled through the junior year two sinister figures hovered at the outskirts of our happy group. It was Bert and Harry waiting to snatch victims for their frankenstein- like experiments with pain and hypnodontics. The diagnosis clinic presented problems to the class in weekly roentgenologic free-for-alls where your guess was as good as anyone elses. In a little glass enclosure we discovered one of the sons of E. R. Squibb and Sons Inc.. who descended upon the class with adhesives galore. Color chips, fluorescent pastes and experimental anaesthetics were a mys- tery to us who wondered why they just could not make their toothpaste taste a little better. Overall though, our third year fulfilled what we had been promised by the classes ahead of ours. It proved to be fairly relaxed, mildly informative, and gen- erally pleasant. The senior year was to be another story. Except for being more informative, it bore no resemblance whatever to that which had pre- ceded it. The fourth year found the class divided into four tribes, each with its own chieftain: Golden Fingers, Running Bull. Do-It-Again, and Silent Wa- ters. Acting as peacemaker was the nomadic chief Blue Chips and over-all gleamed the countenance of the Great White Mother. Instead of scalps we were responsible for points and units. Failure to get them would mean our scalps. Rapidly becoming proficient in operative and prosthetics it was time for the class to try out the specialties. In endo the bugs of bacteriology sneaked, of all places, into the root canals. In pedo, line angles and hand instruments were discarded for the more modern psychological approach to dentistry: Last week we cleaned all your teeth, this week we ' re going to clean a really dirty one. At least it sounded as though it should have worked. As hand pieces over- heated due to the strains of the senior year there arose the first murmurings of discontent. This led to the formation of various handpiece clubs which soon engulfed the entire class. Time once spent on crossword puzzles and chess was now being de- voted to the cleaning, oiling and reassembling of complex instruments. With increased speeds and abilities it became evident that we were to become dentists after all, and good dentists at that. Now, as we prepare co enter the profession that will call forth the best effort we can make, our thoughts slip back into the sharp focus of the present. Soon we will leave even this day behind us, and it is difficult to believe that our memories of what lies ahead, whatever it may be will prove as funny, as lasting, and as youthful as were those of our years at Columbia. Stephen S. Markow and Irwin Gertzog 1959 23