University of Maryland School of Medicine - Terrae Mariae Medicus (Baltimore, MD)

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ELIJAH ADAMS, M.D. Head, Department of Biochemistry An understanding of enzymes, amino acids, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is essential to the practice of medicine. However, during our sojourn on Biochemistry the question was often raised do we really need to understand it that well? WeU, obviously the pro- fessors and instructors felt that it was necessary to know not only forward but backward as well. To demonstrate the depths of their convictions, these same professors have the uncanny ability to create the longest, most tedious, and difficult examinations of the Freshman year. Unfortunately for our medical knowledge, possibly fortunately for our mental stability, the details which we learned congeal into an amorphous haze, and we are left with general concepts. Some- how it is extremely difficult to have a general concept about oxala- cetic transaminase! 14