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

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History of the Class of 1963 By . . . Robert E. Decker with Daniel J. Colombi FOUR YEARS IN RETROSPECT: THE CLASS OF 1963 “All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.” William Shakespeare As You Like It. THE FIRST YEAR The Class of '63 began to play its part on the first Tuesday following Labor Day in 1959. The Philadelphia weather was typically hot and humid as one hundred and thirty-six tanned and rested would-be physicians began their medical school careers. Eagerness and apprehension were the predominant moods. We were officially greeted by Dean Bucher, who had recently succeeded the renowned Dean Parkinson. His introductory presentation was straight-forward, stressing the problems we would collectively face in the immediate future as we made the transition from undergraduate to professional education. The Dean concluded by stating that “. . . we expect each of you to obtain your degree” But two fellows in the class didn't even reach the second week! Following this brief orientation, we were shown to our new “homes away from home. namely the Anatomy Lecture Room and Labs. Wo were greeted once again, this time by Dr. John Franklin Huhjtrr, who personified every freshman’s concept of a Department Head. That this gentleman had been nicknamed “Daddy Huber” by earlier Freshman classes was no coincidence. He and his staff did much to ease the pain of early professional training, and each student was grateful for this approach f— particularly in those first few bewildering weeks. That staff included: M Noble Bates, a Ph.D. specializing in the filibuster type lecture liberally sprinkled with liberal slides, slides, and more slides; J. Robert Troyer another Ph.D. who, in addition to being an excellent teacher, could also draw with both hands simultaneously: John D. Hartman, M.D., who lectured infrequently but extremely well; and Richard H. (“Tricky Dickie') Webber PhD., a neuroanatomist whose, “fingers are wonderful tools.” and “teenie-weenie wagon,” became familiar slogans. Mastering the vocabulary of Anatomy and the structural concepts which are the basis for future medical knowledge is a detailed and difficult process. For many of us the long lectures became tedious and tiring as the novelty of graduate school, complete with white jacket, began to wane. And then there was the Cadaver. No medical student forgets the day of his introduction to that expressionless, devilishly intricate morphologic unit. Nor does he forget the noxious, omnipresent. all-too-unique odor which is the distinctive characteristic of the first semester freshman. Formalin-stung eye , greasy book and lab notes, Pro-tek, etc., all these are not forgotten. But although the factual details of Anatomy became obscure, the fundamental concepts, nevertheless, became slowly established in our minds. Dissecting the cadaver was a privilege which many of us accepted grudgingly, particularly when one had to identify the nerves and vessels in the ischio-rcctal fossa or some other equally inaccessible area. Anatomy lectures, particularly the afternoon variety, had siesta-time built in. The Noble lectures, as some of us were wont to call them, were especially hypnotic. When the snoring got too loud, the Noble lecturer would counter with a few “specials to warm the cockles of your heart. When the dreaded head and neck” regional exam was over, a large segment of the class relaxed, despite the warnings of Dr Huber (in pantomime yet). After the final exam, we spent our last academically-free Christmas vacation. Neuroanatomy, which hegan in January, was interesting and challenging, despite the presence of the aforementioned Tricky Dickie. Our introduction to clinical correlation conferences with Drs. Murtagh and Gilpin made mastering the detail appreciably more palatable. In addition. Dr Rogers' course in medical history helped relieve the monotony of anatomical dissection. For the first time, we were exposed to many of the great men who have made the medical discoveries which we now take for granted. Dr. Rogers smoothly described the medically significant moments in their lives. Dr. Huber had said on the day of each examination that. “. . . you will never know the Anatomy of this region of the body as well as you do today. ' This was the painful and frustrating truth. Psychiatry lertures were also presented in that first semester Prof. O. Spurgeon English's explanation of psycho-sexual development was a classic series. He succeeded in frightening us by claiming that at no future time would we be happier than we were currently. This statement was made in a disturbingly humid lecture hall, shortly after a Noble fillibustrr The results were devastating. We still aren't sure if he was right or not. Nevertheless, we became familiar with some of the terminology of the specialty, and became amateur analysts of cur families and our peers, most of whom evidenced a number of the symptoms which Dr. English had described. Generally, it was a good introduction to a complex field The second semester was one of the most difficult for many of us The relaxed “transitional attitude characteristic of anatomy had vanished. We were faced with the proposition of mastering the fundamentals of two vast subjects . . . and nobody even pretended to help to make this task any easier. Physiological Chemistry was presented with minimal clinical correlation, presumably because of lack of time. Dr. Robert H. Hamilton is above all else a responsible, dedicated teacher who wants to give each student the best possible instruction. So we memorized countless structural formulas. What this contributed to our fund of permanent knowledge is somewhat controversial However it was not uncommon to see one of the senior students doodling the projected formula of sucrose in a rare spare moment. The lab periods also provided a wealth of memorable experiences, including the 24 hour urine collection (“popularly” referred to as the “pee-pool ) and the use of the Van Slyke apparatus (the success of which is rivalled in recent years only by the Edsel). Labs also provided a certain degree of clinical correlation. Those lucky students on low-protein diets learned much about thr early symptoms and signs of kwashiorkor. 25