University of Michigan Medical and Nursing School - Aequanimitas Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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as Little boy, you are more wonderful than you can know. The whole world was made for you. . for a little boy who does not even lmow he is sick. All of science is trying to help you, boy. . . I am trying, too. Little girl, do not be afraid. . . We will mend you. . .with plaster bandages and lots of tender loving care. D

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During the first weeks of these past four school years strange things happened. One of those regularly in attendance at lectures in histology was the chairman of the biochemistry department: the pro- fessor of histology was among the hardy who listened to the introductory lecturesinbiochemistry. The point of this courteous exchange was not merely to let the students have more minutes of exposure to the faculty-though most of those 200 students were entirely grateful for as many of these minutes as were granted. The professors, and it was very exciting to me at the time, actually commented upon each other's lectures, Taking five minutes at the end of a lecture in a field of specialization quite foreign to his own, the professor correlated the ideas of on field with another, showed how two lines of investigation were trying to get at the same truthsg showed how one field's methods supported or weakened conclusions obtained by the other's methods. The result one day was an argument of some heat, if of short duration, over the validity of heavy metal stained electron photomicrographs. This was really an argument, a true to life dif- ference of opinion, spoken out right before the class. I will remember it for a long time. During the same weeks, the professor of physiology gave a few lec- tures to beginning anatomy classes to supply the why and how to students having first to learn the what. Later an internist presented a few lectures in pharmacology. These were ustrange things not in the sense of being peculiar, odd or queer but because they ceased to occur-they became es- tranged. Instead of continuing through school the short sessions of correlation, and sometimes of contrast, the departments just forgot about the whole business. Each gave some lectures and if their reaction to other subjects was unclear or if they were simply repetitive, it was considered good experience for the student-one must learn to correlate for oneself. Since bacteriology, pathol- and pharmacology are all interested in infectious disease, let the student hear a series of lectures from each on infectious disease and let the students work to bring some meaning out of the repetitions and contradictions. The curriculum alteration in the past few years has amounted to sweeping changes and has really benefited the student's cooperation and exchange of ideas between departments might benefit both the faculty and students. Fred S. Wright '63 Na X .vi M 'Q xx . , sf X r