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

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which they began to develop if they were conscientious enough in adhering to their diets. The didactic presentations of Drs. Hamilton, Boutwell, Baldridge, Gilley and Robinson were good as a rule, with one or two notable exceptions, such as the acid-base series which was absolutely incoherent. The bimonthly examination provided ample stimulation for study. Here, as in other departments, we soon learned to concentrate on the finer points as a matter of necessity. The ultimate question’s did this course give me my money’s worth?”; did this course help make me a better physician?,’’ must be answered on an individual basis. The Physiology course was traumatic in varying degrees for the entire class. Although not completely unique, our experience with this Department has to rank as a Temple Medical classic. Consider, if you will, that fateful Saturday prior to Easter vacation when an unannounced quiz (on some unannounced material) descended like a bolt from the blue upon the handful of students dutifully attendant. Consider also those high-tensioned laboratory periods wherein the furies of hell could be unleashed at any given moment. Consider further the incident of the oriental skirt” and its repercussions for one member of the class — a sad Day. Dr. Morton J. (Oppie) Oppenheimer and the Class of '63 reenacted the Battle of the Budge twice a week for most of the semester. If in one lab-period the student learned that frog muscle had inherent contractility and could also escape without a major injury, he considered himself a fortunate man The lab-war dwindled to a guerilla action with considerable hand-to-hand combat between individual students and M.J.O. as the semester drew to a close The lectures by Drs. Wiedeman, Ohlcr, Waldron, Lynch and Evans were generally interesting and informative. Dr. Ascanio’s lectures were received well by the Spanish-speaking members of the class . . . the rest of us didn’t know what the hell he was talking about! The suggested text book had many practical uses, none of which were concerned with physiology The laboratory manual and reports were classic examples of the honor system in reverse. Paradoxically, M.J.O gave a relatively simple but comprehensive final which enabled the majority of us to pass the course. Anyone who thought that this was an indication of our grasp of the subject was brought to his senses one year later when our proud group stormed to the bottom of the national averages in the boards, j And there were still three years to go! THE SECOND YEAR In September of ’60 our veteran group returned to resume classes. The first semester courses were Pathology and Microbiology. Nothing before or since has matched this combination. The Pathology course was, unquestionably, the best organized and best taught basic science We were presented with a vast amount of well-integrated material, with a minimum of repetition, and with a decidedly clinical approach. Dr. Ernest ( the Chief”) Aegerter is one of the most interesting and stylish lecturers in the curriculum. The remainder of the lecturers including Drs. Peale, Lautsch, Tasoni, Levy Watts, Arey, Smith et al. invariably presented their subjects well. Post-mortem exams, gross and microscopic sessions and the conference sessions reinforced the didactic presentation, helping to solidify the fundamentals in our minds. But the course was at all times grinding. We think that this is the feature that is least likely to be forgotten. Announcement that the midterm was cancelled was met with all the fervor of V-J day. (The chief whipped pre-exam tension to an all-time high when he made his famous “Ten Most Important Days of Your Life” speech just prior to the final.) The dreaded chief’s page” was an ever-constant threat even to the best-prepared students. Dr. Lautsch’s “beat the clock” exams were well calculated to precipitate any latent neuroses. The monthly “pass-the-slide session helped” one keep abreast of the seemingly unending slide-study assignments. The Walter to Clarence to Irving combination had to be one of the most consistently funny conferences of the 2nd year. The pre-exam cramming nights in the Gross and Microscopy labs were among the most memorable in the four years. And in February of ’61, when he heard the rhythmic click of Hilda’s spiked heels slowly fading down the 5th floor corridor for the last time, we knew that we had had the course. A demanding Microbiology course shared Pathology's spotlight with a moderate degree of success. The lecturers produced a variable level of consciousness ranging from the keen attention shown the Klein series to the soporific effect of the Shock (man) treatments. Here again we spent long hours in the lab (or else!), and although most of the work was basic and important, its repetitiveness tended to dull our interest. The frequent exams once again kept us from getting too dulled. The course ended with Mr. Lamberti’s wormy subject as Dr. Eiscnbcrg brought up the rear. That first semester ended none too soon for most of us. It had been a rough several months, and virtually everyone needed a breather at that period. Second semester of sophomore year was relatively low-pressured with one major science, Pharmacology, and several introductory courses including Physical Diagnosis, Hematology, Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Epidemiology, Biometrics,’ etc. Pharmacology was a well presented and well received course. Drs. Sevy, Bello, Papacostas, Rusy, Adler, et al. lectured concisely with emphasis on fact and the functional aspects of the science. Clinical correlation conferences with Dr. Bello were particularly good. Lab sessions were often similar to those in Physiology as regards the type of experiments. But the “armed-neutrality atmosphere of the freshman lab was of course, no longer present for the Department of Pharmacology seemed genuinely interested in our learning the fundamentals. Mr. Carl Mayo provided the comic relief in an otherwise sober subject. We dutifully practiced writing prescriptions replete with “mfts, “dis. tal. doses,’’ etc., and got gold stars for our efforts. In the lab sessions (nicknamed the Mayo Clinics) we concocted foulsmelling hand creams and evil-tasting cough syrups which most of us sent to our mothers-in-law, and other good friends — hoping they’d try them. The nomenclature of the course was endless: we learned about twenty chemical and pharmacologic names for each class of drugs. By the end of the semester, we all knew the U.S.P. and trade names for 26

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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

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Brand X we felt we were making headway in our assault on the treatment of a pill-conscious society. Physical Diagnosis provided our first group exposure to live patients. Dr. George Mark did much of the lecturing and in retrospect he did a creditable job under the circumstances. But if it be true that bed-side instruction is the backbone of a physical diagnosis course, then our course had a very weak spine. The Hematology course was revamped that year as Dr. H. James Day took over the Chair. He strengthened the course, generally, added clinical correlation conferences, and gave excellent exams. The laboratory work was well presented and well directed with a technician for every student group. That first venipuncture was a ghastly experience for many of us. Some of those technicians were even more ghastly. The surgical presentations of Drs. Lauby and Dc Laurcntis were generally good. The fluid balance lectures were also given at that time and most of us drowned. Dr. John Kline read us a lecture once — he read very well. We were all impressed by his confidence! Pediatrics, with its emphasis on growth and development, was a classic of conflicting data. Even now many of us are not sure how many blocks a seventeen-month old white Protestant boy from Connecticut should be able to build or when he should stick a pea in the ketchup bottle or perform some other such feat and God forbid hr should only say 6 words instead of 7 at the prescribed age! The exam answers were more controversial than the Chapman Report — finally, we decided to vote on the correct answer. The Department of Internal Medicine began its lecture series with a truly inspiring introduction by Dr. Durant. His obvious sincerity regarding the ideal physician's disdain for monetary compensation provoked some of the more impulsive and impressionable students to bum their money, rend their garments, and rush out seeking work as missionaries among the lepers. After Dr. Shuman had lectured for several weeks on diabetes mellitus, we exhausted souls were all convinced that it was a chronic disease. In any event, we learned that one coconut exchange equals two pizza exchanges and the pH of insulin, and that all you needed to manage a patient's diet was a slide rule and an extensive background in Calculus. Dr. Cohen told us . . not to kill the poor bastards in his sweet, charitable, homey way. Dr. Channick’s Endocrine lectures were excellent, albeit hurried, excursions into the realm of hormones. Dr. Baum’s lectures and his hit record album, “The Nuts and I, were enlightening and entertaining. Spencer Free taught us long division and yelled a lot. Neil Chilton, the world’s greatest living dentist, spent much of his time trying to prove this to us. And the whole atmosphere of the semester was relaxed until final exams and the Board exams were upon us. But merely observing Dr. Cilley dutifully checking our photos against our faces prior to and during the Boards was worth the price of admission. On June 22nd a tired group of students began their last full summer vacation. We had reached the half-way mark, but our casualties had been great. The class photo on the 6th floor of the medical school became riddled with empty spaces. We began to understand what the Dean meant when he said, If you ever get into any difficulty. I’d like to help you out. INTERLUDE: As Freshmen, most of us were still unattached and carefree; we knew very little of dishes, diapers, and such. With each succeeding June, however, an ever larger segment of the class became married, and offspring became increasingly more common. By senior year more than 75% of the class was married, and the additional financial burden provoked many of the class to seek night and weekend work as professional pink and blucrs in some of the outlying hospitals — against the wishes of the Dean. The professional fraternities were the social hub for most of us, particularly those who were not long-time residents of Philadelphia On many a Saturday night our tired eyes and minds were given refuge from the ravages of study. Although the parties never quite reached the proportions recently depicted in a Hollywood version of interns’ parties, they were rather lively at times. The occasional affairs at Alden Park Manor, usually occurring on post-exam evenings, were an excellent way to relax. Some of the participants became so relaxed that they got paralyzed — but everybody understood. There was intra-university basketball, football games during the Junior year and, later, rugby. The latter team is emerging as a continuing tradition at Temple — the Class of ’63 is largely responsible for its birth, early growth, and recent successes. THE THIRD YEAR Junior year provided our first continuing experience with patients, and armed with new black bag and shiny instruments (which we had yet to learn to use) we set out to cure the world. The class was divided into thirds with some students going to Episcopal, some to the P.G.H. — Veterans Hospital complex, and the remainder going to the F.instein Medical Center. Morning and early afternoons were spent at these respective places, and in mid-afternoon there was the daily return to Mecca for two hours of lectures. The situation varied from hospital to hospital and from service to sen-ice, but oftentimes it resolved into a case of ‘‘physician teach thyself! Most of the residents accorded us the same affection they would have if we were carriers of Bubonic Plague. The patients barely tolerated our endless questioning, and the nurses were even less civil. In any event, our bloodletting skills improved, and some of us did gain a degree of clinical acumen. The consensus of opinion was that the Episcopal Medical and Surgical Services were superior to the others. Obstetrics at Temple outstripped the new PGH program, but the latter began to improve as the year progressed. The combined Neurology-TB service at PGH has fine staff coverage in the persons of Drs. Gilpin, Vazuka and Cohen. These were excellent exercises in physical diagnosis and comprehensive medicine. The precious 2 hours of afternoon lectures were generally excellent. The combined medical and surgical coverage in the first half of the year often had a vaudeville-like atmosphere 27