Temple University School of Medicine - Skull Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

Page 26 text:

sense of asepsis began here, too, for after all, you could catch some of those diseases. We all remember the diffidence with which wc approached our first attempt at innoculating a tube of culture medium. Conditions did not improve, for as soon as wc had learned to do this with dexterity and confidence, wc began to streak plates. It was surprising how easily that wire loop skidded through the agar. “Tony” Lamberti was a good friend through all the unknowns, the Gaffky counts, and the inclusion bodies. But Bacteriology was no different from all our courses: its day of reckoning also came. And how it came! Oiyee! Through the dry run on our lab final we felt it must be for a different course; through the final itself, wc knew- it was. But regardless of that, w-e were to look back to Bacteriology in the following years and thank them for the sound and thorough background they had given us. In Pharmacology, w-e began with an in- troductory lecture from Dr. Dean Collins, followed by the marathon of the autonomic drugs, as expounded by Dr. William Moss. It should be parenthetically added that the above mentioned marathon continued throughout the entirety of the course. It should be added also that the general situation eased slightly after December 10th; this was the fateful day of our physiology final, for those who might have forgotten it. Pharmy was a course of names; six of them for each drug. It was somewhat more than embarrassing to write a detailed description of the toxicity of a certain drug, and. when the papers were returned, realize that you had discussed the wrong drug. Those were truly the times that try men's souls. Then, of course, there was the situation where we were asked the dosage of a given drug. The mental process was somewhat as follows: first, it was necessary to interpolate between the name given and one of the names

Page 25 text:

“Good rooming, I hope you enjoyed your vacation. The topic for this morning is respiration. Thus, Dr. Morton Oppenheimer welcomed us to the sophomore year. The pace he set that first lecture never let up until the end of the course. It was during these sessions on respiration that wc were reintroduced to that nasty form of pedagogic torture, the SURPRISE quiz. Little did wc suspect how important a part of the second year it was to play. Following respiration. Dr. Greisheimer led us through the gastrointestinal tract. It seemed fitting that she should give this series since it aided us in regurgitating point I. A. iii a'i; which seemed so essential to the department after the examinations were graded. Dr. Andrew Sokalehuk enlightened us with his discussions of the endocrine glands. “Oppy and Dr. Greisheimer aided him in pointing out the almost general confusion of the entire field of endocrinology. In the laboratory, with the dogs, wc learned that what they had told us in lectures actually happened, excluding biologic variation. Biologic variation included: who was the surgeon, who computed the dosages, who weighed the dog, and was “Oppy looking? Wc were kindly and painstakingly assisted in the lab by Dr. Katherine Michic, Mrs. Katherine Weston, and Miss Wendy Wester (who was to join us in our junior year). In the laboratory, we also came to realize what an important and fascinating subject physiology was in the field of medicine. No discussion of the physiology department w'ould be complete without mention of the Oppenheimer Re-ex Society, founded for the Class of ’52. It had two features wdiich distinguished it from most such groups: the first feature was that its formation came as an almost complete surprise to those “invited to join; the second was the qualifications of those joining the elite group—usually, such societies cater only to the lower section of the class, but this democratic outfit ran the gamut from the high to the low. Its rules were simple (fail physiology), its dues cheap (a pound of flesh), its purpose noble (pass the physiology board even if you fail the other five). Coleridge, at least, sympathized with us; lie vocalized the lament of another, besides ourselves, who was also alone on a wide sea. The teaching methods as practiced by the Bacteriology department were pleasantly reminiscent of those found in Dr. Huber's department. The basic honesty and sincere interest shown by the staff made the course one of the highlights of the first semester. Most of the lectures in Bacteriology were concise and to the point. There were times when we were confused by the Schultz-Charlton phenomenon and the allergic response, but they were few, if thought and patience were given to them. Because of his own intense interest in bacteriology, Dr. Earle Spaulding could generate in us a like interest. Contrasting with Dr. Spaulding’s speed and intenseness. Dr. Theodore Anderson's calm and homey discussions, too, were always welcomed. Dr. Kolmer rejoined us for lectures on Treponema and imparted to us more of his practical knowledge. In Bacti lab we were acquainted with something new in the way of instructors, three comely lasses, Angie, Julie, and Mary Jane by name. Somehow one got the idea that, though they were sweet, they gave us our innoculations with too much glee. Our 21

Page 27 text:

you might recognize; then, you thought about the numerical dosage—was it 0.1, 4, 100, 50 or V2? When it was decided which number was correct, you were then confronted with a real problem: what is the unit—grains, re’s, bushels, pounds, liters or gallons? There were more figurative patients killed by the results of the above mental gymnastics than ever were saved in a bumper year at the Mayo Clinic. It was truly a pleasure to attend a Pharmacology lab. When you arrived at the north end of the third floor, all of the surgery was completed on the animals, the apparatus for the experiment was in place, and functioning. It then fell to the lot of the student to calculate the initial dose of the drug under study. This dose, if we were fortunate, fell somewhere between the minimum amount for effectiveness and the lethal dose. However, through all of this, we always had the sincerity and interest of the staff at our command. They were always available to straighten out our difficulties. In each of our lab courses there was always an incident or two which, no matter how hard we might try, we will he unable to forget. Do you recall the day we were doing the open-drop ether anesthesia experiment? One of our colleagues was on the verge of using his cigarette lighter as a light source to ascertain tlie size of the dog's pupils. Fortunately, one of his partners saw fit to let out a ldood-curdling scream, which halted this proceedurc in the nick of time. Then, there was the aspiring young gentleman who felt it unnecessary to restrain the dog before administering intravenous morphine. There is only one word which describes what followed —PANDEMONIUM!! It was about a half-hour later when things finally quieted enough for the rest of the class to carry on their experiments. In our sophomore year we had that triangle of small lab courses, parasitology, hematology, and physical diagnosis. Genial