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

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This yearbook is the record of those ninety souls, known collectively as the Class of 1968, who chose to relinquish their identities, subdue their passions, delay their maturi- ty and, in many ways, divorce themselves from the external world in order to seek that Most Noble Title — Physician. There is no denying that total immersion in the subject matter was necessary; nor should we feel guilty about time and energy spent in pursuit of an adequate education — in classroom and laboratory, in hospitals throughout the city, and in the reading of texts and journals. This was required. This was our free choice. Yet in this period of concen- trated study we missed much. What happened during these four years of confinement? Most of our friends in the outside world were married, having their first child, and working on their second raise just about the time we were making our first big loan and stepping into that greatest of anxiety producers — the anatomy lab. Sep- tember of 1964 marked the onset of ten months during which we could do little else but keep up with the pace. Few took more than passing note of the fact that Johnson was re-elected president, that Dr. Martin Luther King received the Nobel Peace Prize, or that China exploded its first atomic bomb. More impor- tant were the arteries, veins, and nerves of the brachial plexus. We entered the second year with a much lighter heart and far less anxiety; yet the total commitment and high pressured study remained. Some of us actually began to enjoy the study of medicine. At the same time, however, we began to recognize and feel personally the sacrifices which are inherent in the life of both medical student and physician. Those who were married found perhaps that their wives were not willing to be cast off by that ever pre- sent mistress — medicine. Fathers becam e strangers to their children. The many single men of the class grudgingly recognized that little energy was left for the pursuit of a mate, let alone good times. Few friendships outside of classmates could be maintained, if for no other reason than lack of time. Most of us gave up completely any notions of keeping in good physical shape and few maintained an interest in the world outside the Cloister. For nostalgic reference on looking back over these four years, it might be of interest to enumerate some of the more moving events which passed us by, all but unnoticed. In early 1965, President Johnson reaffirmed our commitment in Vietnam and the war was escalated with the first air attacks on the north; U.S. troops were rushed to the Dominican Republic to prevent a communist takeover there; and in the summer, an event occurred which shattered the smug security of most Americans. An area in Los Angeles called Watts, little known outside of California, was completely devastated by race riots. On the other side of the world, Albert Schweitzer passed away, and far above us all, the two astronauts Grissom and Young orbited the earth in our first two-man spacecraft. Their televised take-off was viewed by mil- lions.