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

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That is the background responsible for the Duke character and fame. And how gratifying it is periodically to exchange with the grad- uates Hung far and wide those pleasant memo- ries of medical days. These exchanges have essentially become a trade-mark, one incident- ly, that is often the envy of medical colleagues who studied elsewhere. Take this heritage with you and carry it to greater heights. Use your Duke background as the fulcrum for sound progress. Be critical, but understanding, be skeptical, but receptive to change and innovation, be provocative, but not punitive, strive always to excite your col- leagues, never to incite them. Distinguish critically between growth and development and understand the basic differences between big- ness and greatness. Those who choose the role of practitioner of medicine accept the greatest challenge of all. It is diiiicult to administer to the sick, to help the infirm, to comfort the bereaved and to guide the confused. For those who do it well, there is the reward of personal satisfaction A major point of self-orientation toward medical education is the realization that the process of learning never ends. The true stu- dent of medicine sees the satisfaction of self- education from the enjoyment of learning new facts and evaluating these in regard to their potential practical application. The student and material success. The teacher-investigator- academician also plays a complex role that car- ries with it grave responsibilities. Truthfully, there is no choice between the various disci- plines of teaching, service and research. It is to no avail to disparage one or the other. There is but one choice-excellence in all. Bring the disciplines into balance so that each may flourish, and there can be no doubt about a great future. It is for you to accept the challenge, meet it without fear, and turn the turbulence now about us into a meaningful, productive, order- ly discipline of progress and change. Good luck! 1 If X I fly MADISON S. SPACH, M.D. PEDIATRICS The true student of medicine sees the satisfac- tion of self-education from the enjoyment of learn- ing new facts and evaluating these in regard to their potential practical application. who develops habits of self-education which are not dependent upon outside stimuli and pressures is indeed fortunate, as this will in- sure continued interest and work at learning long after medical school has been completed. There can be no substitute for hard work, for only through this can the individual achieve his potential contribution in such a demanding field. Thetmajor satisfaction achieved by striv- ing to be a better student and a better practi- tioner of the art of medicine is derived pri- marily from the fun of the work involved, rather than from recognition by others of the individual's contribution. In medicine, a job well done is truly its own reward. MW twenty-eight

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GEORGE J. BAYLIN, M.D. RADIOLOGY Be critical, but understanding, be skeptical, but receptive to change and innovation, be provocative, but not punitiveg strive always to excite your col- leagues, never to incite them. Distinguish critically between growth and development and understand the basic differences between bigness and greatness. Graduation heralds for each of you a porten- tous change. You shift from medical student status to that of student of medicine. No longer is the storage of facts, the cramming for exami- nations, the attainment of grades, and the fear of superiors the way of life. Now you must make decisions, assume great responsibilities, shape the destinies of others, and acquire not only knowledge but wisdom. The challenges are great and will tax your ability and in- genuity severely. lt will require intense ef- fort and dedication to meet them successfully, but you are being launched with a sound back- ground buttressed by a magnificent Duke med- ical tradition. Lest you not be conversant with that tradi- tion, I will wax nostalgic and detail brieiiy some of the pillars on which it is founded. Graduation from the Duke Medical School endows you with stature and prestige even beyond that which accrues to you by virtue of your newly acquired distinguished degree. Why? Your school was founded on a bold new pro- gram of medical education that immediately caught the imagination of all involved. More- over, it soon commanded the attention and respect of physicians, scientists and educators throughout the country, indeed, throughout the World! Its basic discipline was hinged on a teacher- student interchange that featured mutual un- derstanding and respect. The prime emphasis was on hard earnest effort featured by a phi- losophy that learning, though infinitely diffi- cult, is nevertheless exciting and enjoyable. Student knew teacher-teacher knew student, not merely through the written regurgitation of facts, but via daily personal exchange. The interplay was based on intimacy. Each chal- lenged the other to greater effort and achieve- ment. Another major attribute that characterized the young new school was the inherent disdain for intellectual complacency manifested by its members. Everyone was constantly engaged in determining how best to improve all the phases of school activities. Fortunately, the young, in- dustrious, and energetic staff members pos- sessed magnificent maturity, particularly with respect to their own errors. Even the student was permitted the privilege of being wrong- given the chance to try once again to collect his thoughts, to regroup his ideas so as to re- cover from the inevitable false starts which beset us all. Also, infinite wisdom prevailed with regard to the recognition of those important differ- ences in individual ability, thus permitting each student to be directed in a meaningful fashion toward the attainment of his goals. The zest and dedication of purpose was con- tagious. The result was almost electrifying. Cln a few brief years Duke Medical School had acquired more than a reputation-it had ac- quired character that was destined to be ap- preciated in all cultural and scientific regions.J Graduates from such a program were obviously destined to carry forth a message that would soon be heard and understood. twenty-seven

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SUYDAM OSTERHOUT, M.D. MICROBIOLOGY, MEDICINE . . . the desire to serve, the egotistical aspects of medicine, and the fascination with the search for new truths. The request for an essay on a philosophy of medical education and practice was an in- teresting one because most of us have such philosophies but few of us, myself included, have crystallized our thoughts to the point of putting them down in black and white. Be- cause of the limitations of space, I would briefly like to touch on three aspects of such a phi- losophy. These three aspects are the desire to serve, the egotistical aspects of medicine, and the facination with the search for new truths. This desire to serve is an old Judo-Christian tradition which may be summed up by asking yourself when you go to bed at night, Have you done anything to make this world a little bit better place in which to live? Teaching Cand this includes rearing a familyj, assisting in the care of the sick, and the search for new truths is one way to try to answer this question in the affirmative. Lest we get too starry-eyed about this idealist aspect, one should look briefly at the egotistical side of medical education and practice. Al- though this aspect may make one feel uncom- fortable, it should be recognized that teachers Cand all physicians are teachersb derive con- siderable satisfaction from being the source of knowledge and help to others. In addition, one cannot ignore the egotistical aspects of a physician's social and economic standing in a given community. However, one's hat size should not shrink too rapidly if one can honest- ly admit that the answer to many, if not most questions in a given day is, I don't know. This leads to the third area, which is the fascination and excitement of the quest for new truths. If one has a continuous desire to try to find out the answers to such questions, life cannot help but be interesting. In this line, it is well to remember that a highly-educated man gets his thinks from somebody elsev but an intelligent man makes up his own thinks. It is hoped that physicians and teachers will strive to strike the proper balance between education and intelligence. os9::.L.aJ- twenty-nine IE f