Drexel University College of Medicine - Medic Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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'll M92 Raymond C. Truex, Ph.D. Professor and Head, Division of Anatomy Armand W. Angulo, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Anatomy George H. Fatt, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Anatomy Herbert 5. Warren, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Anatomy Eleanor Hugins Yeakel, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Anatomy Francis E. Eksterawicz, NLD. .Instructor in Anatomy William A. Kase, M.D. Instructor in Anatomy Philip D. I.i Volsi, NLD. Instructor in Anatomy Harold E. Martin, M.D. Instructor in Anatomy Francis H. Stern, NLD. Instructor in Anatomy Anatomy, like Gaul, the Andrews sisters, and poison ivy, was divided into three parts: Histology and Embryology, Neuroanatomy, and Gross Anatomy. These so subdivided our first year that at least one part harassed us at all times. Part one was taught by the late Doctor Tom Snyder. For the first fourteen weeks of our medical careers we learned a bit of Histol- ogy and listened to a vast amount of homespun medical philosophy. It would be futile to at- tempt a satisfactory physical description of Doc- tor Tom with his fresh cut boutonniere, his unique appearance, and his debonair manner- isms. His lectures were most unorthodox and were addressed to medical students, not girls, a point endowing him with special license to tell spicy and ribald stories now and then. The ll 'ni f -. 5:54- isyms I f 'N' LMA 'N ,fan f .4-,

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On Friday, September 27, 1946, at 9 A.M., one hundred and five eager neophytes gath- ered in Room C of the college to meet for the first time the big wheels which were to make their heads go around for the next few years. Dr. Charles L. Brown, our new dean, welcomed us to Hahnemann, greeting us with - We're starting out together and you're my baby! He introduced spokesmen of the various freshman departments: Dr. Thomas W. Phillips, Anatomy, Dr. Thomas M. Snyder, Histology and Embryol- ogy, Drs. William G. Schmidt and Joseph Chandler, Chemistry, and Dr. John C. Scott, Physiology. One by one, they cautioned us of the need to work hard in fulfillment of their rig- orous course specifications lest we fall by the wayside: Anatomy was tough, chemistry was insurmountable, and physiology would sep- arate the men from the boys. Only Dr. Snyder had a kind word. Laconically, he told us to go home while we still had the chance. The meeting moved on rapidly. Expensive textbooks were listed as required, the more reasonably priced ones were labeled as sug- gested reading. War veterans filled out govern- ment forms in triplicate and quadruplicate. Registration cards were signed. Bills for tuition were distributed. During this swift current of activity we turned from side to side in appraisal of our new classmates. The eager expressions were gone, replaced by troubled countenances- looks of anxiety and apprehension. So this is med school! I didn't think it would be this tough! Gee! l'll never make it . . . ! The sweet taste we had experienced since our acceptance was gone and the struggle was about to begin. Work . . . study . . . long hours. Who would be the men and who the boys? These thoughts spun around our heads as we shuffled out of the room. And on the following Monday, at precisely eight o'clock, we began our struggle.

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' o fr cw 3-S:S'i fa -, lk s 1 1 A Mi GQ, . -, . --:fr T' mm 3' -f 551 '- 1' 5- 1, ,-- W? K, . 1 ff f-3.1 1. ' 1- f 'il ' ' . 1 . ' ' ' -Q ,,,, , .e U . 4 -i :-' ' ' -,z-qxyit x X t ssl I 1 'll X J ! I X - vo V N YM If . ,F-rr ' fi K . , . ,k ' I v X lifki' rv' rw an 'If ,I - , L ' ' Ml 1 . 'Q 'i ff .V - -lbissjgeg , pf. 5. 5:3.L5,-im .Y : .f,,4 ,-' iff N f W' VX W 1 .fs , , ,. Vg, - X ,X x '. Q Q . . ' . Q. 1 ' 4 bizarre apparatus which Doctor Tom used to il- lustrate embryological development is legend. Who does not remember the enema bag, rub- ber tubing, and window curtain with which he described the rotation of the gut! 'Fit'll teach ya sumthin', Dearie, l'll stan' on m'head, he would toss off. Dr. Snyder was assisted by Drs. Angulo, Warren, and Kirchhofer whom, we must admit, we sometimes gave a hard time in their at- tempts to keep us busy in the laboratory. When not dashing to Dr. Snyder's office for his rub- ber stamp of approval on our drawings, we were taking time out to attend Freshman sur- gery in the operating room galleries or to educate ourselves in the science of bridge in the lounge. Dr. Snyder's examinations were, euphe- mistically, new type. Undoubtedly they must have been at one time, but for many years Hahnemann's fraternities had frantically stashed away thousands of true-false, till-ins, and multiple choice questions from previous ex- aminations. To get an A in Histology one had to have not only a phenomenal memory but also membership in the right fraternity. The famous neurohistology examinations taught us that S.O.B. also stood for same, opposite, both. The passing away of Dr. Snyder in 1948 marked the end of an epoch at Hahnemann. His cheese parties For Freshmen Only held each Christmas, his oral exams with the wide selection of exotic cigarettes, the two hand counters - one for correct answers, one for in- correct answers - his famous exposition on one of the lesser-known uses of a sink, his recollec- tions of Dr.'Rufus B. Weaver -'all these will long be remembered. Neuroanatomy counted toward only one- enth of the final grade in Anatomy. Neverthe- ess it was well presented by Dr. Ricketts in a series of thirty-six lectures. Primarily a gastroen- terologist, Dr. Ricketts was well versed in the study of the nervous system. More important to us than this was the preciseness and concise- ness of his presentation. Our course in Neuro- anatomy was perhaps the best organized series of lectures we have received at Hahnemann,