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

Page 20 text:

WILLIAM N. PARKINSON B.S., M.D., M.Sc. (Medicine), Sc.D., F.A.C.S., Ed.D., LL.D. Vice-President, Temple University—Dean, Temple University School of Medicine The most vital possessions of any university are its great men. It is not the pride, pomp, and circumstance of an institution which it bring honor, not its wealth, the number of its schools, the students who throng its halls. These men walk the tortuous road of service that leads through toil, despair, and tribulations to the hollowed halls of Fame. From Who's Important in Medicine, 1952 here is a vignette of one of Temple's great men: Parkinson, Wm. Nimon: Dean Temple U. Med. School; b. Sept. 17, 1886, Philo, Pa.; son of Walter Sarah (Nimon) Parkinson; educated of Villonovo College, B.S., LL.D. 1931; Temple U., M.D. 1911; Univ. of Pa., M.Sc. (Med.) 1923; D.Sc., Po. Mil. Coll., 1948. Dr. of Ed., Dickinson, 1951. Asst. Surgeon, Joseph Price Mem. Hosp., Philo., Po. 1912-17. Assoc. Dean, Med. Dept., Temple U. 1923-25; Chief Surgeon, Florida East Coast R.R. Hosp. Med. Director of Temp. U. Hosp. since 1929. Fellow Am. Coll, of Surgeons. Member A.M.A. County and State Med. Societies Served os Div., A.E.F., World War 1. (from Who’s Importont in Medicine. 1952) The above profile, cold and impersonal, presents us with nothing more than events neatly situated in time and place. But what of the man, what of the spirit behind the man? In one of his pertinent Oslerisms, Sir William declared that, We should look beyond the printed page to find in the lives of these men the spirit of helpfulness which gives to the profession of medicine its value to humanity. His deep humility discourages an attempt to converse with Dr. Parkinson about his accomplishments. What we are able to know or surmise about him comes from his written messages to graduating classes, and from his personal dealings with students.

Page 19 text:

 HOWARD W. BAKER, A.B., M.D. Medical Director Temple University Hospital ROBERT LIVINGSTON JOHNSON A.B., LL.D., L.H.D. President, Temple University

Page 21 text:

This is a man dedicated to a profession—to its propagation and its enhancement. Robert Louis Stevenson, when dying of tuberculosis in Samoa, wrote: There are men and classes of men that stand above the common herd: the soldier, sailor and shepherd, not infrequently the artist, rarer still, the clergyman, the physician almost as a rule. He is the flower of our civilization, and ... he will be thought to have shared as little as any in the defects of the period, and most notably exhibited the virtues of the race. Generosity . . ., discretion . . tact . . ., Herculean cheerfulness and courage. So it is that he brings air and cheer into the sick room, and often enough, though not so often as he wishes, brings healing. One can not help realize that these are, in essence, the precepts which have motivated Dr. Parkinson in the practice of his profession and, more important, in his ministrations to an institution devoted to the creation of physicians. He has written of the profession as: a profession honored above all others, and as a pro-fession whose only reason for being is the preservation rather than the destruction of mankind. That he considers medicine a life of service is apparent from the following: The practice of medicine offers glorious opportunity for abundant service to your fellow men. Dedicate your lives to the cause of humanity, endeavoring always to relieve and befriend the sick and the suffering. Students will remember Dr. Parkinson for his devotion to their professional as well as personal problems. His schedule is never too crowded or important to take precedence over the request of a student for counsel. His advice is always directed toward helping the student realize the nature of the profession, to adjust to its honored position and to maintain its high standards. He writes this timeless admonition to the neophyte: Always refrain from behavior which would reflect discreditably on the profession of medicine, develop those aspects of your personality which will make you a suitable person to appreciate and deserve the role you will play in the community life as a physician. A successful physician must develop a sensitive personality, one that is skilled in the art of perception. A physician occupies a unique position. He is admitted to the intimacies of the home, and for him the veil of dignity which shrouds a person's character must sometimes be lifted A physician's attitude must combine tact and understanding with a scientific lack of prejudice. In short, it is the responsibility of every physician, both new and old, to be a cultured, civilized person, in addition to being well trained in medical sciences. Be a good doctor. To be one requires that your life should be clean, and that your methods should be simple, that your goodness of life, as such, with your wisdom based on scientific understanding and continuing study, should draw the sick to you to be healed in body and mind, that as you heal them you should sustain them with encouragement and guide them as a friend, counsellor, and confidant. Follow this guide and you in truth will ‘be a good doctor.' Whether we like it or not, to the majority of people the doctor is the one symbol of royalty which they consciously or unconsciously retain, be they residents of Park Avenue in New York or of the hilltops of the South. The doctor has spent more time in acquiring 'book learning' than anyone else they know. That is why his patients ask him his opinion on every public question. You and I know that no human being could live up to these expectations. Yet, we must do our best not to disappoint our public by keeping ourselves as well informed as possible. Make time for reading How does one find time? One makes time for it, and one forms the habit early in one's career. I do not need to remind you that culture is not limited or even assured by attendance in the classroom. It is the end rosult of a lifetime spent in practicing the precept that it is man's moral duty to be intellectual. This, then, is a glimpse of a man who has devoted twenty-six years of his life to Temple University Medical School. The Medical Center which will stand as an everlasting tribute to a man dedicated to the preservation and well-being of humanity. Each and every one of us can truthfully say, Whatever way my days decline, I felt and feel, tho' left alone, His being working in mine own, The footsteps of his life in mine.