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

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dental assistant were discussed in the first of the Diagnosis series by Captain Jack. Operative, Prosthetics, and Crown and Bridge clinics had finally arrived and as the boys poured up their first models another motto was to be heard ' round the clinic floor, Does anyone have any Duco? It was to be repeated many, many times. Working on our first patients made us realize how diffi- cult working on a typodont really had been. Life was made more interesting when the 6 o ' clock curfew went into effect and many a wax-up was to distort due to discrepancies between subway and clinic temperatures. A few members of the class saw a sunrise for the first time in their lives as the bimonthly CPC (CSC) was held at the break of dawn heralded by the crowing of a rooster. Hormonal gingivitis and pemphigus seemed to comprise the catchall in diagnoses, just as Kenalog or Orabase in therapeutics. We learned later that idiopathic was also an intelligent tentative as well as conclusive diagnosis. Conversion Hysteria could also be used. Emergency Medicine or Creative Dentistry in Civil and Mili- tary Disaster for Fun and Profit in Your Spare Time was to take the place of Dental Materials as our major subject during the remaining two years. Non-emergency Medicine provided a refresher course in hyperparathyroidism (Primary and Second- ary) and electrolyte balance. Functional Anatomy explained why the olfactory organ is located at the oral rather than caudal end of the digestive tube. Pharmacology got off to a slow start — just one lecture a week, giving the boys time to brush up on their shorthand and foreign languages. The autonomic nervous system (entirely be- yond voluntary control — Oh, how true) was divided into sym- pathetic, unsympathetic, and downright nasty. G G, NND, and LAB (bloods on my hands) were driving us to the D. T. ' s P.D.Q. We learned to speed read our notes which were speed written at speed lectures and applauded the one lecturer who admitted he needed a microphone. Dental students don ' t try to understand — they just memorize was the analysis of all our difficulties. But Junior year was far from over. Toward the end of the year, the boys discovered they had founded and become mem- bers of a new organization, known by many names including Junior ADA . To remain a member in good standing, one had to present a table clinic as well as attend a dinner and lecture. Robin Hood, leader of the green-robed men of Surgwood For- est had started it all, but it was OUR organization and we could like it (the Jr. ADA) or leave it (dental school). The din- ner was delicious. About this time we also heard a series of lectures on Applied Occlusal Dynamics given by God ' s answer to dentistry. Some- what more helpful (?) were the Huntsman ' s lecture series on Dental Lore . Then the news broke — were were to be blessed with a vol- untary summer clinic. Back into the arena had become a prophesy. We were to learn how to conduct a successful dental practice in the tropics, air-conditioners courtesy of the Low- Speed Fan Co. But the boys were not too shaken. Most of them had completed their perio history and were ready to begin scaling. Also 50% could now tell Roger and Elliot apart and 50% could understand Silent Tom.

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Colored pencils and smudge sticks were the armamentarium of choice in pathology, where we once again glued reluctant eyeballs to microscopes and were rewarded with visions which defied description. Here we each collected a nice pile of mimeo- graph paper an d the knowledge that calcified psamomma bodies are common, and refreshed our abilities to take notes under blackout conditions. With laudable professional curiosity, a few hardy souls with a weak olfactory sense ventured into the green light suite. Our spacious equipment and clothing lockers were now lo- cated on the eighth floor but this was the only thing we had on the eight floor. We continued our major subject, Dental Ma- terials, now in its second installment. In Periodontology, we were told to put our minds at ease; the department was trying to obtain 400 additional hours for us. No one ventured to suggest that evenings and week ends be switched from prosthetics lab to perio. We finally came face to face with patients who, we discovered, were only slightly less terrified of us than we were of them. We began taking a his- tory. This was to take us now to and through Junior Year, but not before we discovered that the route to salvation is Endo- dontic and the miracle of the Fish. 70% of the class still could not tell Roger and Elliot apart and 20% could understand Silent Tom. Junior Year and Pharmacology at last. The initial shock, however, was not nearly as great as seeing Biostatistics listed on the schedule. This turned out to be a statistical error (in that we had a free period) but it was then rumored that there was to be a refresher course in Dental Materials instead. Orthodontia, wire bending in theory and practice, was to prove traumatic to many of the boys except those who were going to specialize. We singed our fingers but were relieved when at last our Haw- leys went to pot. What was left of the colored pencils and smudge sticks was used up in Oral Pathology and several antique microscopes could finally return to their museum shelves for a well deserved rest. Thermionic emission, and the uses of the dark room and the

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Senior Year, 1961-1962: the year they combined Junior and Senior requirements, multiplied by z hat , divided by the num- ber of sterilizing trays on the pedo cart and came up with a new set of requirements which appeared to be the same as it had been over the past ten years — only more so. The only innovation was that everything was carefully recorded on the achievement board, which only the prosthetic sheet proprie- tor could interpret. Operative points were also increased so that a charting was equal to a pulp capping (15 points); some of the boys specialized in one while others emphasized the other. Many an afternoon was still spent removing and replacing a temporary filling. A few managed to help stamp out dental disease. Emergency Medicine, installment II, was presented but at least Dental Materials was not on the schedule. In Periodon- tics, many decided to remeasure pocket depth which had deep- ened considerably while the history was being taken (begun in Sophomore Year). The Course of the Year was certain to be Clinical Oral Phy- siology, also known as Boleystethoscopia after the necessary two items in the armamentarium. The main feature of the course was the clicking joint — its diagnosis, treatment, and psychoanalysis. Six o ' clock curfew was in effect once again, with one noted exception — an evening of inlay-amalgam- conversion with the operative department acting as hosts, mag- nifying loupes and all. Two class slogans took on an ever increasing meaning as the pressure began to mount: Thank heaven for dental labs and Nothing is critical in dentistry . These were really what kept us going. Pedodontics was a new challenge in Senior Year. The most important item in the armamentarium here was the cotton roll. When not mopping up saliva, one was filling the water cup so the - - % X !q?)| could rinse. A few men developed a personal grievance against the British Isles and felt like starting the American Revolution over again. It ' s alright, except your line angles are a bit fuzzy. Make it square with a round bur just about sums up the philosophy of pedo. We slept through the rest. 24 Of course, there was never a dull moment in Surgery. Our lectures began with the bellowed greeting, Alexander? . . . Bassett? . . . Block? . . . Block? In the last course of the series, the boys gave the lectures, with Brooks Atkinson sitting in the audience grading on diction, enunciation, grammar, poise, pos- ture, delivery, dress, and content. General Anesthesia demon- strations demonstrated that a whiff of gas works better if you use a shot of novacaine. This was the year we went modern. First, the Operative Staff produced and starred in a live T.V. spectacular, Tic Tac Dough which demonstrated that the hand is quicker than the eye. Not to be outdone, the Prosthetics Department offere d its version of educational television called The Twilight Zons. Our Senior lecture series Miracles in Prosthodontia or I Do Things My Way opened our eyes as little previously en- countered had done. It was the first time a class arriving at 8:55 was locked out of a 9:00 A.M. lecture. Laugh clown!