Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Synapsis Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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under professors

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of hard work With pride and excitement, we told our parents and friends of our new discoveries and new accomplish- ments. How proud we were of being able to list the branches of the brachial plexus or name the muscles of the forearm. However, these first few weeks were also filled with many harrowing experiences. Each morning, we slowly walked that last block to school with our eyes constantly on the auditorium windows. Were the lights on? Was today the day? The day finally came, and we had our first surprise anatomy test. The end of the first trimester was unforgettably punctuated by an anatomy practical examination. While awaiting our moment of truth, in the cramped quarters of the back rooms of the laboratory, our time was divided between efi ' orts to recall some of Dr. Cathie ' s incomparable classroom drawings and serious thought as to what we were doing here in the first place. However, anatomy was not our only course. We had other things to occupy our spare time. These included many diverse courses such as: The study of the detec- tion and properties of the sub-atomic particles and their relation to nuclear physics and modern science, all of which was disguised under the innocuous title of Radiology I. Under professors, who guided us, we learned the art of layer by layer palpation and gradu- ally, through constant practice, we became somewhat adept at diagnosing lesioned segments. Through the efforts of the Dean, we were made aware of our posi- tion in the vast panorama of medical history and were assured that the future would be bright for all of us. 10

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who guided us With this thought to guide us, we began to relax. With the coming of winter, some of us mounted the large auditorium stage to participate in our first Christ- mas show at P.C.O. Then, slightly battered by the ru- mors of surprise exams, the long nights of studying and memorization, and the endless hours of labs and lec- tures, we went home for vacation to rest up for the days to come. After Christmas, our confidence in our- selves began to increase. However, the second term, with a total of 492 hours of clinical and didactic work, did not help to decrease our work load. It was during this time that we learned that our opinions concerning microscopic structures were, worth about a zero. If we had thought that anatomy and histology were exas- perating, we were to find another course which was even more so, namely, neuro-anatomy. 12