Duke University School of Medicine - Aesculapian Yearbook (Durham, NC)

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OFFICE GF THE DEA When Dr. Davison retired as Dean, the half-life of the average medical school dean was 6.2 years. In the past four or five years, even this brief span of responsi- bility has been shortened, and, following this trend, Dr. William Anlyan will become Dean of the Duke Medical School on Iuly 1, 1964. He will then possess, among other tasks, the pleasant responsibility of writing this farewell note to the graduating classes of the future. The rapid turnover of deans on the national level is not a frivolous matter, it is a mark of the varied needs of modern edu- cation, and it is a response to the redistribution of people interested in the broad design and functions of a Medical University. I shall retain my post as Vice-Provost. This class showed considerable promise when it entered Duke, and it has proved this point with vigor and greater promise. Among its 71 members, 50 secured a first-choice internship, the best class record to date. I might add that the admission potential of the three other classes in residence shows even greater promise. This graduating class must continue its education with dedication, not because medicine is competitive, which it is, but because its major task is to take care of ill people in a wholly knowledgeable way. I would trust that this class would develop convic- tions about some or all of the major social issues that medicine as an art and science must consider today. The traditional doctor-patient relationship is still the most important component of our profession, and it can- not be compromised. There are, however, many other supporting components of this basic relationship, and you must support these as well. Let me quote one as an ex- DR. WOODHALL ample, 4'The survival of the community hospital, the accurate designation of the fiscal resources responsible for the care of indigent and medically indigent people, the economical development or programming of hospital beds, the total concept of good medical care at minimum cost, the professional goals and aspirations and training of White and Negro components of the health profes- sions are some of the proper ingredients of the so-called regional health design. Be aware of this issue and others, be a loyal alumnus, and good fortune to each and every one of you. BARNES WOODHALL, M.D. Dean of the School of Medicine Assistant Provost of the U nizfersity Professor of Neurosurgery 2 MRS. 'THOBIAS MRS. HILDEBRAN MRS. MAYE.

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OFFICE OF THE PRESIDE Medical education today is confronted with acceler- ating changes in its techniques and its means: hut it laces an equal need to maintain the human center of its purs poses-a need which must he protected from the conf stant temptation to forget what knowledge is lor, in the sheer excitement ol its discovery. lt seems to me that the great continuing task of our own Medical Center is the maintenance ol' ayhalance, and a constant interaction, among the three chief elements ol our work: teaching. clinical service, and hasic research. lt is perilously easy to encourage any one ol these at the expense of the others: to do so, however, would damage the rarest and hest quality of our own program. and one ol which we are iustly proud. YVhat we shall he concerned to do in the years ahead is to enhance and develop each part of this program hy means of the othersg this will ahove all he accomplished hy having the hest people liei'e-lrraft in the sense that they have the highest competence in their own special held. coupled with the greatest interest in the significance of the whole venture of medicine. In this way the Medical Center is a microcosm of the human attitude that makes the University itself elleetiveg 1871 the educated lilie. ln that way ol' life. you as doctors will , ----sr- i . v- .- N W . V-H V W X -:-. E mE::E::- PREslnigx'i' Do1'c1-.xs M. Kxicyifrr each of us at Duke has an et ual ohlisfation to his own l zs skill, his own discipline. and to the enduring values ol he privileged to play a leading part: and I hope that you will he proud to take our name with you as you do so

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OFFICE OF THE ASSISTA DEA To the Senior Class: Au revoir and not goodbye,' We are especially proud of the record of the Class of T64. You have reached this tier in your education suc- cessfully and with a sense of responsibility. The acquisition of the ancient and honored degree of Medicine Doctoris elicits a curious mixed emotional response from the recipient. lt is the climax of eight years of a hard. yet exciting, higher educational process. lt is also the passport to a lifetime dedicated to the im- provement of the multifaceted health problems of our fellow human beings. Most of you will be handling the sick individually, some of you will be looking at the collective ills of mankind, while still others will be seek- ing to improve man's lot through teaching and research. Unlike the days of Moliere in the 17th century when in his farcical play, Le Malade lmaginairef' he ribbed the physicians of his day for resorting to the only two methods of therapy available then-g'Seignare et Pur- garef, you will have at your disposition all of the modern tools of diagnosis and treatment. But forget not your ears, your eyes and your hands. Despite all the com- puters and elaborate laboratory tools, your own senses still provide you with eighty per cent of the tools necessary to cope with man's diseases. ln shedding your student coats fand the controversial name badgesj you are also acquiring a new set of re- sponsibilities. Perhaps the most important of these is the dedication to a life-time of continued self-educa- tion. Following varying lengths of internships and resi- dency training, you still have the obligation to keep up with the vast amount of new knowledge being created 1 . DR. ANLYAN by geometric progression in the biological sciences. Thus, it is hoped that you will never completely sever your umbilical cord with your medical school. The library, the faculty, and the administration stand ready to serve you hereafter. Though the names of the principal actors may change, there is a certain immortality in a first rate medical school such as ours. You have earned a life- time membership on its roster. One of my distinguished predecessors obviously dis- played great wisdom in placing QOZ5 of our medical students in the upper one-third of the class. There is more truth in this than meets the eye. Your record this year in obtaining first-rate internships with lifty out of seventy-one graduating seniors obtaining their hrst choice would lead me to say that 9o9Q, of you have obtained an fConzz'nz1c'4I' on page lgjj twelve