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

Page 33 text:

, W Dr. Ritter is one who recognizes the medical students and imitates a cheerful 'fHello Doctor when he sees you in the halls of the hospital and street. His friendli- ness and eagerness to work with medical students is exemplified by the active role he plays as Prefect of the Galens Honorary Medical Society. He endears the friendship of medical students and these friendships strenghten his understanding of students and their thinking, and their expectations from the staff. Dr. Ritter trained in ENT at the University of Michigan. His mentor was Dr. A.C. Furstenburg, Chairman of the Department of ENT and Dean of our medi- cal school. Dr. Ritter is often known to quote Dr. Furstenburg's aphorismsg he states that these have also provided him with the direction and spirit that have led him to the position he is in today, that of clinician and researcher. Dr. Ritter has given me the following list of Dr. Fursten- burg's adages that we might also use them in good stead. Nothing like hard work lo give a fel- low good hol-housegrowlh. Don 'l look from side to side but fJCU.f on whalfs' in front of you. Ifyou're busy enough with your own work, you w0n'l he .to concerned with how much your competitor hai accomplished. Don? he concerned with whether students seern lo rexpond or not. fusl teach them. Once a man ls' won his spurs, give him his head. It is his drive to achieve excellence in teaching tempered by humor and friendli- ness which we remember. We should incor- porate this example into our own attitudes, so that in the future we may also have the rapport with students which is so character- istic of Dr. Ritter. gllflike johns Frank N. Ritter Born 1928 B.S., Notre Dame University M.l-J., St. Louis University Medical School Intern at St. kIoseph's, Toledo, Ohio Residency at University Hospital, Ann Arbor Galens Shovel, Senior Award 29

Page 32 text:

uProject yourself into the seat ofa student or patient and try to think as they are think- ingfi It is this style of philosophical apoth- egm which has gained for Dr. Ritter the recognition of the student body. He is known as a capable lecturer who is able to take his speciality field and present it in a clear, concise fashion with a touch of refreshing, practical, home spun humor that makes the most difficult information not only easy, but more importantly, enjoyable to assimilate. This straightforward approach to educa- tion is perhaps a development of the close friendship he had with his uncle, Joseph Cardinal Ritter, the Archbishop of St. Louis Cnow deceasedl. From the Cardinal, Dr. Ritter gained a great deal of humor and spiritual and intellectual enlightenment. He was also good friends with Dr. Tom Dooley, a fellow student, who dedicated his life to missionary medicine in Southeast Asia. It is from these men, perhaps, that he derived the desirous qualities of tolerance and compata- bility with his fellow man and the efferves- cent friendliness that seldom fades. 28 FRANK N. RITTER These are the qualities which make any student feel at ease when talking with him. There is no sign of condescension or impa- tient intolerance when he talks to you. He gives his frank opinion on problems of medi- cal education or your future in medicine. He is always willing to listen to student com- plaints, and is flexible and open minded enough to execute immediate change to legi- timate gripes.

Page 34 text:

P-.-- Y - --Y -- To anyone who has ever seen Ur. Swain lecture it would probably come as no sur- prise that before choosing to become a pro- fessor of pharmacology he considered becoming a minister. Although he obviously has talent in that direction, he claims he was utoo dirty mindedfl He turned toward sal- vation of medical students instead. Michigan medical students have re- sponded to Dr, Swain as they have to no other professor in the medical school. He is the sole winner of three different awards for teaching excellence, having won the Crosby Award and Senior Award in 1961 and the Galens Shovel award in 1962. That he won an award for excellent teaching of both basic sciences and clinical sciences all while teach- ing the same course is testimony to the value given his instruction by students through the years. lt is important however not only to recog- nize good teaching but to examine what qualities make it good. An important part of Dr. Swain's style is showmanship. Some would say that this should not be considered necessary to be a good teacher, but it is a simple fact of life that unless a teacher can keep a student awake and interested he cannot educate him. In this field. Dr. Swain has few peers. Ifmjohnny Carson had writers like Goodman and Gilman and the PDR he would quickly be off the air. But Dr. Swain manages to take this dull script and create an hour's entertainment. Supporters of information theory would probably argue about exactly how many bits of information this approach actually gets across. But they would be missing an important point. Dr. Swain feels that he is teaching medical stu- dents to become doctors. He is teaching them to have 'fa meaningful concern for another beingis welfare? Incidentally, they might learn some pharmacology. He is far- sighted enough to realize that the material he touches is without clinical application at the moment, and therefore soon forgotten. But the students have been given a working vocabulary and that is what they will need for the future. Hopefully, as they have taken the course, they have absorbed some of the deeper message that Dr. Swain has tried to communicate. 30 ..,,.yy..... Y ,.,e...., ...... ..,,..,,.. D 1 1 ex .1 I t HENRY H. SWAIN