New York University School of Medicine - Medical Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 12 text:

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Page 14 text:

l83 ' .Y,lQl-EI IXTY-THREE young men are huddled in fhe corner of a large room on fhe fop floor of a dingy red brick building. lf is warm oufside and in, buf a cooling breeze driffs in from fhe river, which is iusf barely visible pasf fhe fenemenfs. lf evaporafes fhe suspicion of moisfure on brows and palms-fhaf befrays fhe appre- hension which fhey sfrive fo hide beneafh a casual exferior, like a small boy in a haunfed house. Round abouf sfand fhirfy odd sfone fables. which vivid imaginafion already populafes wifh fheir grisly obiecfs, and fhe fhoughf brings on momenfary shudders. Very soon fhey will be cheerfully hacking away wifh scalpel and forceps: buf fhaf fime is yef fo come. So fhey mill around uneasily, making fhe same quasi humorous, frife remarks fhaf counfless groups before fhem have made-unfil fhere emerges fhrough a door in fhe far end of fhe room a slighf, erecf figure enshrouded in an odd sorf of gown. wifh a long collar lying across fhe shoulders like a hood fhrown back. l-le approaches, and one nofes firsf fhe head of grey-whife hair, surmounfing a pleasanf counfenance lined and seamed, ifs chief feafure a pair of quizzical and fwinkling eyes. ln his hands he holds a clavicle-hands remarkably large and sfrong looking for so slighf a figure-hands so knowing and so sure in fheir maneuvers, as fhey find ouf lafer. l-lis speech is clipped: whaf we consider as fypically English: fhaf makes of lab- orafory one syllable. l-le calls fhe roll-and fhis is our infroducfion fo osfeology, 'ro medicine, and fo Dr. l-larold Senior. Tewin is a village in fhe counfy of l-lerefordshire, one of fhe innumerable English boroughs nof quife large enough fo impress geographers wifh fhe necessify of mapping fhem. buf represenfing fo fheir inhabifanfs fhe ulfimafe in desirabilify in size and comforf. Round abouf lie fhe broad and carefully filled fields of fhe pleasanf English counfryside, and exisfence here is serene. lf is in Tewin, early in fhe l8fh cenfury, fhaf fhere are records exfanf of fhe firsf Senior. l-le seems fo have been a freeholder, and probably inherifed his land in fhe usual way from his forebears, over whom fhe veil of obscurify lies. lf was on Ocfober 30, I87O, fhaf l-larold Senior was born af Croydon-fhe fhird of a family of six: greaf. greaf grandson of fhe Tewin landholder and descended on his mofher's side from a family of merchanfs in fhe China frade. . ln fhe usual course of an English lad's life, he was senf fo a boarding school. fhis one on fhe Kenfish coasf. l-lis main inferesf fhen befrayed no sign of virfuosify- nofhing fo disfinguish him from youngsfers fhe world over. l-le wanfed fo be a loco- mofive engineer. l-le had always liked fhings mechanical, fhis being associafed wifh fhe desire fo fake fhing aparf: perhaps a herald of his fufure acfivifies. lfxl' fhis poinf, if was fhe inquisifor's pleasure. and he cannof refrain from sharing if wifh counfless sufferers who have wrifhed under fhe same quesfion, fo presenf fo Dr. Senior fhaf delighfful poser, Why did you sfudy Medicine? l. The Seniors had many friends in fhe Royal Navy. One nighf, while sfrolling along fhe shore, The fafher furned fo his fhree sons and suggesfed fhaf if be a fine fhing for a young man fo become a naval surgeon. lf was iusf a pafernal suggesfion fo young minds groping abouf for a fufure. yef fhe seed implanfed fhaf nighf germi- nafedz fhe resulf being fhaf all fhree sfudied medicine, alfhough only fhe eldesf wenf info fhe service. Careers represenf a peculiar sequence of evenfs. in refrospecf. One nofes his compromises, bold sfeps. hesilancies, buf ulfimafely if is accidenf and forfuifous Tenfh Page