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

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Letter of Acceptance Once upon a time, there was a very religious old man who lived alone with his dutiful son. They kept the word of God and paid homage to Him daily in both thought and deed. The son grew to be a fine young man who wanted dearly to be a physician, God willing. The father was proud, but confused. How could he be sure that his son ' s desire to be a doctor did not represent a trace of Greed? Suppose his son was to go the way of so many other medical students who begin their careers idealistically, ready to stamp out disease and pestilence, only to end up pushing B12 and frauding Medicare forms? The son adamantly insisted that this was not the case, but father and son both knew that they must ask their Creator for proper counsel. The Lord heard their prayers and entertained their request. It was in- deed difficult to get into medical school at this period of time, and thus, God could not grant such a favor indiscriminately. The son was a good student and probably had good intentions; his cumulative average was a 3.1, with 550 ' s in his boards, but he had no relatives who were physicians. In addition, there were equally religious engineering majors and those with established careers with better grades. There were just so many medical school seats to be had. God was frankly in a jam. He decided to test the father ' s faith in His judgement and wisdom with a most rash proposal. He directed the father to sacrifice his son. Both father and son were shocked that their earnest prayers for counsel were resolved by their God in this fashion: the son even moreso. But their faith could not be shattered. If this be God ' s will, who were they to question this ultimate directive? Tears streaming down both faces, father and son prepared for the sacrifice. The father sharpened his knife and prepared an altar to pray upon. The son was fastened to the block. The father raised the dagger above his son ' s heart at the point of maximum impulse (5 ' th I. S. L.M.C.L.). Just then, lightening struck and a voice spoke, Abraham and Isaac, you have shown your trust in God-Rejoice-Unfasten your son-he shall have his wish! A thick white letter (if it ' s thick it means you ' re accepted) fell from the skies. Tears of grief turned to tears of joy. The son, taching away, ripped open the letter and began to read: Congratulations! You have been accepted to the freshman class of The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine beginning this September, 1971. His mind raced rapidly — ' Osteopathic? ' Hmmm, it DOES say ' Medical ' in the middle ... It doesn ' t necessarily mean I ' m a bone doctor . . .1 don ' t HAVE to manip once I get out . . . Maybe I could jump leagues later if things don ' t work out as they promise ... I COULD specialize ... I COULD hang up my shingle with Dr. , General Medicine . . . NO one would know I ' ll take it! ! ! Here ' s my S100 . . . Reserve that spot ... I ' M COMING! by Michael Centrella, D.O.

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Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Spices. 20