University of Oregon School of Nursing - Lamp Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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X PORTLAND FREE DISPENSARY ON 4TH AND JEFFERSON, 1916 ing vacant lot and a Hne, new three-story medical school building- was erected on the old site. The Oregonian said: The two buildings, as they stand today, the one a poor insignihcant structure, devoid of any pretense to architectural sym- metry, the other beautiful in its lines and arches without, admirably Htted to its purpose within, may almost be regarded as symbolic of the advance made in medical science and medical education since the hrst session of this college was held in the little building on borrowed ground around the corner. Progress flourished anew. The latest 'fad in theories of diseases was that they were caused by germs. The very year before, Dr. A. E. Mackey, a young physi- cian trained: in Toronto and London, who had come to Portland to establish prac- tice, was added to the faculty in the especially created position of Professor ot Bacteriology and Microscopy. The school now had the use of a microscope, that of Dr. Mackay. I-list 'scope had the only oil immersion lens in the Northwest, and he was well versed in the new work on germs. He not only treated the students, but the physicians of the town as well, to their first look at germs. Of course, there were no technicians and Dr. Mackay often spent his Sundays and spare time preparing media. I-le made the Hrst Loefller's medium and liquid culture of tuber- culosis organisms in the Northwest. ln fact, this was iust ten years after Robert Koch had discovered the tubercle bacillus and nearly lost his reputation by claim- ing that it was the cause of consumption. Dr. Mackay was diagnosing the disease by examining the sputum, remarkable goings-on 'lor Portland. Since pathology' U Q Y A ah 5 501 za 11,529 ' 'ann ux0V E421 , I

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enough to give our patient a name, it did not likewise give it any money, and thus provided our patient with Its hrst problem in life. lt was decided at the outset that the new school should be located in Portland, then a growing, busy, prospective city of 40,000 souls. Of course, it would have to compete for students with the ll1LlCl1 better established Willamette Medical School freshly moved into a new building, but, somehow, it was felt that this would be accomplished. A two-story, two-room, frame building was erected, especially for the purpose, on ground belonging to the Good Samaritan Hospital at wlIat is now the intersection of Twenty-third and Marshall streets. The lecture room was downstairs, and the dissection room wasupstairs, thus combining safety- pin utility with Napoleonic compactness. The cadavers were hauled upstairs through a trap-door by means of a pulley, and the dissecting room had two or three tables. The money for this structure was provided out of the private purses of the men making up the faculty. Two short years after its opening, the Iirst splendid class was graduated, seven in all. As though this were not effort enough for our' young patient, in the same year, Marshall street was opened, and since its path lay directly through the med- ical school, the entire structure was moved -to Twenty-third and Lovejoy streets. Here the enrollment grew and the school thrived. In 1893 our patient had its HIST serious attack of growing pains. The old building was moved to an adjoin- , ,, Mw.,,.,s2a..c. . I 1 I 4 E i ! I CLINIC IN PEOPLE,S INSTITUTE ON BURNSIDE STREET, 1908 L! l -43 I:--3' 1 . 4 'Gaim 4:33 T41 1

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was also part ol' his course, he secured the lirst microtome in the Northwest and made further use ol' his microscope by teaching histopathology. l-le, and the other professors ol' tho school, received as reward 'lor their time and trouble, cer- titicates for stock in the school, which certificates never were expected to be worth anything. lfverything they were paid and sometimes more, too, was turned back toikeep the school going! The lecture room was located on the main floor and there- were cuspidors scat- tered all around through it since so many of the boys chewed tobacco. The anat- omy lab was located on the second floor over the side door which was the one most used. ln the summer time it was as natural as breathing, when coming out, to look up to see if a water-bag was coming down. ln fact, during the summer season, the sidewalk was kept wet with this playful pastime. The winter season didn't dampen the spirit much either. The rival Willamette Medical College was located down on Fifteenth and Couch streets. Une winter during deep-snow time, the boys phoned the Willamette crowd and agreed to meet them half-way for a snowball iight. ln the ensuing succession of soft thuds, the U. of O. boys were bested, driven home, and incidentally had every window in the place broken, a matter requiring considerable chipping-in. Admission requirement became a high- school education or its equivalent. ln reality, however, this amounted to satisfac- tion of the dean, who more often waived the requirement for various reasons. Medicine was a three-year course comprising two courses of lectures and a year QFrom groundj: MEDICAL SCHOOL MOVED TO MARQUAM l-IILL, 1919 ! l , 5 if A 5'?.?'-v .us 11370 list E431