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

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By October, we were all hurrying to review our Sopho- more year Psychiatry lecture notes, as we had to apply these principles, and those of the rounded line angle, to the practice of Pedodontics. On the eighth floor, however, sharp line angles still prevailed, as the Hydrocolloid King encouraged enough students to use the material to win for himself a new Alpha unit. It was his adopted son, Silent Tom. who explained that the Hydro King ' s right jab to the gut and primitive hack sign were really indications of deep affection. Other members of the department received mention in verse. A poem, read to Dr. Carl Oman upon his retirement, paid a tribute to his accomplishments as an educator, included these lines: There ' s Silent P. conversant B, and Hydrocolloid C, Then S and F. with specks hooked on, and smiling S.H.B.; With knapsack H, pain-killer S, and F with high- pitched bray, And lanky S, and Kodak D. and L with dilok tray. The first course to get under way was Periodontia. As Seniors, many of us were fortunate enough to participate in an experiment based on modern electric toothbrushing methods and gingival biopsy techniques. Some students were also given an opportunity to judiciously prescribe newly developed troches for the treatment of periodontal disorders. As in the past, they ' ll help us out, and teach us all they know, But it ' s your name that ' s legend here, and wherever students go, Long after we have left this school, our cards we ' ll proudly show; The lines which start, Class III Gold Foil, and end with C.R.O. 25

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k marked by exchanges and interchanges of personnel. Fol- lowing our first year we were forced to give up a repre- sentative to a medical college. As part of a foreign ex- change program, we lost another of our troupe to a dental school in Montreal. In return, however, we were joined by Hummer, Strummer, and the Duke, — three enchantingly colorful individuals who did much to enhance the per- sonality of the class. The Senior year, an entity which almost stands apart from the rest of our dental education, followed strongly on the heels of an Open House during the ADA ' s Cen- tennial celebration. On this day, strategically located in the various departments to demonstrate our skills, we were proud of the enthusiastic comments we heard from the visiting dentists. In the clinic, cases started rather slowly, as the linger- ing summer weather kept patients in the city parks. Soon, however, matters returned to normal. Clinic fees were now determined by an electronic brain in the cashier ' s office. Full denture kits, presented with each new case, consisted of assorted used wax, gutta percha, and com- pound. We were sorry to learn that our old friend, Millie Ohlhaver, had retired from her post at the appointment desk, but her place was ably filled by two charming and alert young ladies who answered the microphone and made announcements over the telephone. Sahawab-Lum in- herited the laundry concession, making enough money to take unto himself a bride. The class was divided into four prosthetics groups, each with its own instructor; and each claiming to have gotten the best deal in the shuffle. Group two boasted that they had finally harnessed Big John by putting sand in his roller skates, while the front of the alphabet rented a snow-plow to get the Herl to school and a set of chains to keep him in tow. Young Vic ' s boys put in a private line to the office over the bank. The last group claimed that Daddy Miller was the grandest chief of all, but because of weekly admissions committee obligations, they invited a prominent guest instructor to join them every Friday. This instructor was made a Baron by Em- peror Franz Joseph in recognition of his contributions to dental science, i.e., the Pencil-in nostril Vertical Dimen- sion indicator, the irremovable double-impression tray, and the plastic Hindelug. This new lug former was in par- ticular a great aid to students, being specially designed to make undercontouring of crowns impossible. 24

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While clinic work was our major concern, there were still lecture notes to be taken. The Huntsman, down from the hills at 181st Street, interrupted his 6-day bike-race to lecture us on ethical behavior and legal ins and outs. Sen- ior lectures in Periodontia covered the more advanced problems of periodontal therapy, i.e., biopsy indications, prognosis in tooth mobility, fixed splinting, and treat- ment planning. With the burden of point requirements, partials, spe- cial assignments. State Boards, and preparation for post- graduation positions, the Senior year will best be remem- bered for the hectic spasticity that prevailed unabated throughout. Boys with carefree manner and gentle dis- positions in earlier years showed signs of the strain as often the only humor discernible was the giddiness that comes with overwork. With the end finally in sight, we strove to revitalize our sagging dispositions, while strug- gling through Roach Arms, Immediates, Class III foils, and State Board practice setups. Despite our trials and tribulations, it was a year of learning and experience. The staff ably drew upon our extensive preclinical science training to make the Senior year a logical culmination to our earlier education. To this, they added training in the most modern tech niques of dental practice, plus the personal instructor-student rela- tionship particular to Columbia. While we know that we still have much to learn, we are convinced that we have been prepared for it in the best possible manner. Ashley Brown Stephen Stambler Bernard Tolpin I 26