University of California School of Medicine - Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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: 2 V Q. 1 ' , n -4

Page 101 text:

To the Class of 1963, School of Medicine: You have asked me to write for you a message. In so doing, you imply that one whom you first met in the role of a dispenser of chemical formulae, of the complex pathways of metabolism, of citric acid cycles and such, of electrolytes and fluids --- may also be able to function in a broader sense with a perspective that is not wholly technical. I am pleased to have this opportunity to function in the latter role, because it permits me to impress upon you how important it is, as you are preparing to accept your responsi- bilities as physicians, that even though I and my colleagues may have seemed only to teach the science of medicine, we are yet cognizant that there is much of the art yet to be practiced as well. Why do I say this? It is be- cause there is the real danger that the very triumphs of the science of medicine could distort our traditional sense of values by converting physi- cians simply into high-level technicians. In some circles, concern is being expressed that Schools of Medicine are getting too few qualified applicants. One reason for this, it is stated, is that we are losing them to the physical sciences. I submit that there should be no such competition. The student who will make a true physician is one who is attracted to medicine as a humanitarian, not as a technologist. He is one who desires to restore health to the sick, not simply to uncover objective truth by the experimental method of the laboratory. It should be apparent that we are here referring to individuals with different motiva- tions. As one observer put it, we should not compete with the physical I ' sciences by attempting to pose the inner man against outer space. 6 ' You, as physicians, must utilize fully the ever-burgeoning knowledge which research contributes to your technical skill. But, you must never lose ' sight of the patient as a whole person, and not merely the sum of a number of parts. The patient is not only that interesting case in Ward A .... , he is also someone's father, mother, sister. He is a biological entity for whom a cure surely calls forth your scientific knowledge, but never to the neglect of all your talents and resources as a human being deeply interested in other human beings. Because this humanitarian element must have been a powerful force in your motivation toward medicine, only in it will you find fulfillment of the highest professional accomplishment. It is my most sincere wish that each of you will succeed in this high objective. Yours sincerely, ZQM4 62. Harold A. Harper 95