Medical Bulletin
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MEDICAL BULLETIN VOLUME 40 / NUMBER 1 SEPTEMBER /1968 SEPTEMBER 1968 Volume 40 Circulation: 6,500 36 pages Published in behalf of the University of Minnesota Medical School, University Hospitals, Minnesota Medi cal Alumni Association, and the Minnesota Medical Foundation. OFFICERS MINNESOTA MEDICAL FOUNDATION: KARL W. ANDERSON, M.D., president: M. E. HERZ, vice president: ROBERT A. ULSTROM, M.D., secretary-treasurer; EIVIND O. HOFF, JR., executive director. MINNESOTA MEDICAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: KENNETH P. MANICK, M.D., president; LEONARD ARLlNG, M.D., vice-presi dent; GEORGE W. JANDA, M.D., vice-president; EMERSON E. HOPPES, M.D., secretary: HENRY W. QUIST, M.D., treasurer. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MEDICAL SCHOOL: MALCOLM MOOS, president: ROBERT B. HOWARD, dean, College of Med ical Sciences; H. MEAD CAVERT, associate dean; ROBERT A. ULSTROM, associate dean; ROBERT J. McCOLLISTER. assist ant dean; ROBERT O. MULHAUSEN, assistant dean. The Orchard of Posterity* Owen H. Wangensteen, M.D. If you have not visited your University and Medical School re cently you will be pleasantly sur prised to see what a great and sprawling institution it has come to be. On the west side of the Mississippi River a large complex in the Social Sciences is coming into being. A new two-tiered bridge connects the two banks. The top tier is a covered walk way, protecting pedestrians from the winter winds and with art ex hibits to view in passing. There are now more than 45,000 students enrolled, though not all on one campus. The University of California is considerably larger in numbers, which fortunately have been congregated on several campuses. Now that every student and professor today wants to drive his car to the very door of his classroom, the prob lem of parking looms as large as student disobedience. Despite the lesser notice given in our news media to instruc tion and the advance of knowledge, this still is the sale reason that colleges and universities exist. Minnesota has a rich heritage. A century ago (1869) William Watts Folwell was inaugurated as its first University president. A month ago, after he had been in office for almost a year Mr. Malcolm Moos, our tenth University President, was inaugurated. He, you will be happy to hear, is a native Minnesotan. Our Medical School reached its four score anniversary this year. When compared in length of years to the 201-year-old University of Pennsylvania Medical School, our School is still young. Contrasted too with Harvard or Columbia our 80 years represents but the adoloscence of a great institution growing in strength, service, and accomplishment. Your Medical School con tinues to grow in stature. Its professional image should be very pleasing to each of you. • Remarks made June 20. 1968 before a Minnesota medical alumni dinner in San Francisco, Calif. THE MEDICAL BULLETIN How has this been accomplished?-through the simple ex pedient of the power of appointment upon which the future des tinies of all institutions reside. Up until the time that President George Edgar Vincent came to the University of Minnesota in 1911, ours was a collection of sleeping colleges, quite happy and content in their mediocrity. Vincent recruited to the University a number of persons who grew to great stature in the history of the Institution. Names like Guy Stanton Ford, Lotus Delta Coffman, and Walter C. Coffey are known to you, each of whom left his imprint on our institution and a durable impact upon Vincent's discipline. To the Medical School came Elias Potter Lyon and to the Department of Anatomy Lyon brought Clarence M. Jack son, Richard E. Scammon, Hal Downey, and Andrew Rasmus· sen, a galaxy of stars who inaugurated a program and a spirit of 1 research which gradually spread to many other Departments of the School-Wiltord P. Larson came in Bacteriology, Arthur D. Hirschfelder in Pharmacology, and Leonard G. Rowntree in I Medicine, all of whom added lustre to their Departments by stimu lating a growing interest in research in their respective disciplines. Dr. E. T. Bell was already on the scene. The pattern and the directional trend of our Medical School were established by Lyon. President Coffman had a brilliant idea when he surprised the Medical School faculty by choosing Har old S. Diehl as successor to Deans Lyon and Scammon-a choice which proved to be an eminently happy, very satisfying and a fortunate one for the School. Scammon was undoubtedly one of the finest teachers in the history of our School. His inspirational voice of instruction thrilled and stimulated so many students, but as an administrative officer his record was in sharp contrast. Even so, he will always be kindly remembered by all privileged to sit in his classrooms. When Harold Diehl left the Dean's office in 1957 for the Ameri can Cancer Society, the Search Committee's choice, of which group I was fortunate to be a member, went to Robert B. Howard, who has continued to chart the School's progress upward. Leo Rigler, famed Minnesota roentgenologist, whose many pro teges today occupy important chairs in Academic Radiology, re tired about the same time as Harold Diehl. Yet in California he continues to enjoy a protracted professional Indian Summer. A year ago Cecil Watson, our distinguished Professor of Medicine gave up the Chairmanship of his Department as will Maurice Visscher the Chair in Physiology at the end of this Academic year (June 30, 1968). John 1. McKelvey in Obstetrics and Gyne 1 cology made the same decision a year ago as did C. Donald Creevy in Urology very recently. Despite these losses in the academic ranks, Dean Howard with the help of knowledge- 1 2 ! I THE MEDICAL BULLETIN able and industrious Search Committees has found younger men of Academic stature and promise to fill the gaps to the end that the gains balance the losses. In fact the Medical School has a closer link with California now that your John Najarian is the De partment of Surgery's Mentor and Robert A. Ulstrom has re turned to an important post. When the School retired me in June 1967, it finished with the 19th Century. Our babes of the 20th century are now be ginning to get that nod of warning for retirement from those in the University whose office it is to check on chronological age. It is fitting that on an occasion like this, you hear from your College. It is equally as important that we hear from you. We are all beholden to our California colleague Dr. Melvin Goldfine for arranging this nice occasion and to Mr. Eivind Hoff, Exec utive Director of the Minnesota Medical Foundation under whose aegis this strong arm of the Medical School has blossomed. Your Alma Mater, the University of Minnesota's Medical School, your Foster Mother, like all mothers is happy when her progeny thrives. The success of her children honors a mother. In turn like duti ful children, you can make your mother happy by sharing some of your good fortune with her. The difference between state-supported and private or volun tary institutions is lessening every day. The overall budget of my Department of Surgery received in latter years only 15 per cent of its total support from legislatively appropriated monies. The His tory of Medicine Section of our Library in which some of you have manifested a helpful interest derives its sale financial sup port from voluntary sources. When you are again in Minneapolis give a special look to this important new activity of the School located in the Bio-Medical Library. I believe our loyal Alumni of the University of Minnesota's Medical School want to share and participate in its life. No mat ter where you live, you can do this in a telling way by contribut ing annually, as generously as you can to some activity of the School that holds an abiding interest for you. Sharing and giving are two of the finest and most precious words in our language. Let me conclude by telling you a true story of 16 years ago. My son, Steve, now in the Department of Surgery at the Univer sity of Virginia (Charlottesville) and I were going on a fishing trip in mid-summer of 1952. As we entered a taxi at our house to leave, a delivery truck drove up behind us, bringing us a large crate of luscious Colorado peaches. We re-entered the house and put the top tier into three bags which Steve delivered to our ad joining neighbors. The bottom tier we put in the coldest room in the basement. When we returned ten days later, not a single edible peach remained. We saved only what we gave away. 3 THE MEDICAL BULLETII'< When a spirit of sharing in our large family of medical alumni grows to encompass 100 per cent of our members. you will be come an ongoing part of your University and its great Medical School. Your Alma Mater rejoices in your success. The Physician, Luke, tells us that only one of ten lepers healed of leprosy by the Great Master returned to offer Thanks. The people of the State of Minnesota are a grateful people who appreciate the great privilege and advantages of a superior education. The leper story has no parallel or counterpart among Minnesota's citizens and graduates, who recognize and share their good fortune with their Foster Mother. Your attendance here today suggests definitely that you welcome being closely identified with your University. The University reciprocates your affection and welcomes you home for a visit. If you have not already done so, plant a tree in the Orchard of Posterity for your Medical School.