Taking Our Medicine

Unhealthy competition and other signs of the times

Medical Worries

Some musing on "Worries of a Premed" [June]:

First, who is C. Everett Koop '37 trying to kid?

Second, those who predict the demise of specialists and the meteoric rise of the generalist have no concept of modern medicine, which has become hypercomplex and unmanageable in anything other than partitioned fragments.

Third, those whose pathological drive to enter the profession possesses them to commit superhuman feats in Third World countries may not necessarily make good physicians, and may need to get a life.

Fourth, and a corollary, those who need to go without sleep and a personal life in college invariably "flame out" in medical school. And if not, have only cheated themselves of a worthwhile undergraduate experience. There will be plenty of time for the absence of sleep, food, and friendship in residency training.

Fifth, medical school in and of itself is not difficult. The practice of good medicine is. It takes a good memory, street smarts, common sense, affability, humanity, critical thinking, and above all, patience. Dartmouth's premed curriculum hardly seems to test or promote such skills.

Finally, an institution charging more than $30,000 a year should be doing all it can to see the professional dreams of its charges fulfilled, not dashed upon the rocks of organic chemistry.

Come on Dartmouth, you can do better.

DANVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA

I would agree with Dr. Koop's assessment that young people are being drawn to medicine for the opportunity to do work that is meaningful. The fact that medical schools are receiving so many applications in spite of the dramatic changes in medicine is a good sign that most applicants are motivated for the right reasons. Of course, the salaries are not bad either, but I like to think this is a way in which individuals can do well by doing good.

I agree [with Professor Tom Roos] that science is a critical component of a liberal arts education. But comments from the medical student who knows exactly what happens when you twist your knee, but who cannot communicate that information in a way that is clear to a patient with little or no education, is just a different plate of beans. Do premeds learn how to relate to others in English classes? Maybe not. But they need to learn it somewhere, and they need to learn it before they get to medical school.

DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS U. VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA BAB7G@VIRGINIA.EDU

As a recent premed graduate, I would temper Tyler Stableford's perpetuation of the stereotypical premed with a word of caution. Internships and volunteer projects are useful methods of gaining exposure to the field of medicine. They can be a critical step in determining if medicine is an appropriate career choice.

It is a pity to see four years in Hanover squandered with the sole intent of building an application portfolio. Premeds should enjoy their time at Dartmouth—there is a lifetime of CT scans and research ahead!

WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS DAVID . SHAFF@UMMED.EDU

My folks sent me to Dartmouth to become a doctor. They assumed that would be a medical doctor. Dartmouth showed me other paths, some less trampled than the one on the way to Med School. Somehow I ended up in the classics foreign study program in Greece. I felt guilty for my interests in archaeology. I tried to justify them to myself and my parents by incorporating medicine with what I have wanted to be since grade one: an archaeologist. Here I am in grad school, now, studying healing in ancient Greece and Rome, just doing my small part in the grand scheme of things. Dartmouthians, we are lucky.

Bon courage,

CINCINNATI, OHIO LESKAL@EMAIL.UC.EDU

Bobb and the Police

I object strenuously to author Jim Newton's introductory paragraphs on the Rodney King arrest as flagrantly distorted and misleading ["Cleaningup L.A.," June]. The problem was (and is) that most people's perception of the event is limited to what they saw on the selected portion of the Holliday tape. The jurors in the first trial were shown all the evidence, and quite properly concluded that there was reasonable doubt as to the use of "excessive force." It is sad that a condescending obsession with race often taints such matters, and clouds objectivity.

We have seen the pernicious effects of affirmative action in education and employment. Even more far-reaching is the damage done by affirmative action in the judicial system.

DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA

Whether the actions of Mr. Bobb were those of an assaultive demonstrator or careless motorist, the danger to the Oakland police officer was real. While his release is attributed to a "friendlier" department asserting jurisdiction, I credit the original officer with responding appropriately, despite emotional involvement.

There is no place in law enforcement for excessive force, racism, and bias. I hope that Mr. Bobb has a higher understanding and appreciation of what we face today in law enforcement. Seven years into my career, mygoals remain the same: To positively impact the lives of the public I serve; and to return home safely at the end of my shift.

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Captain Orton Hicks

In all I have read about Ort Hicks, I have seen no mention of his outstanding military career. At age 17 he was commander of Company R of the Student Army Training Corps. For three months in 1918 he led a coterie of 16- and 17-year-olds through the rigors of preparing to die for our country. We squirts paid for our army uniforms and followed Captain Hicks's orders. As a corporal I had only seven to monitor. Ort had maybe 50 and kept us busy and happy. Vive le capitaine!

SOUTH HARPSWELL, MAINE

Green Horses

We found this piece of Dartmouth memorabilia at a California flea market and hope that you can help us trace its history. The horse [right] is made of wood and is painted green. The eyes, nose, and mouth are painted white and black, but the ears are made of white leather. The harness is cloth with metal rivets. The proud Dartmouth Indian is a decal. Most interesting, the wheels are quite worn suggesting that the horse had an active life and was heavily ridden by a Dartmouth student (or later, by his children). We would love to know which group at Dartmouth used these hobby horses and when.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Do you know? Let us know. —Ed.

"Diversity"

As the College continues to purvey the notion of "diversity," one reflects upon the observation of Ward Connerly, a regent of the University of California and founder of the American Civil Rights Institute, who proclaimed, "diversity does not equal excellence." The sly defenders of preferences on account of gender or race cleverly disguise their opposition to the constitutional premise of equal treatment under the law by constantly lecturing us about "diversity." So, too, does the current administration in its mystifying policy of implying that diversity on campus manifests itself as a learning process. One wonders about the complaisant college trustees who silently acquiesce to such intellectual pap.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Getting In

The stage-set for Frank Gilroy's play ["Getting In," May] may be difficult for latter-day alumnae and alumni to appreciate. The end of the war led to severe limitation of the number of new students admitted in the Fall of 1946: 200 veterans who were once offered admission but had not matriculated; 200 veterans who had never previously applied; and 200 civilians coming out of secondary school. Discharge schedules and the erratic availability of various records deferred some decisions literally until the week before the stuff dents were expected to register. Those were the conditions that prevailed at the time of "Duffy's" application.

It was a hectic period into which I Frank became a walk-on. But whatever the straw that tipped the scales, he "got in," with admirable results for both him and the College.

NEW LONDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE

What a publishing coup to have a one-act play by our Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright! Plow proud I am of Dartmouth, how forever grateful for the experience. And proud, too, of our country that gave a college education to its war veterans. I'm a recipient—with a three-year graduate degree from Yale.

YORK, PENNSYLVANIA

Mascots (Continued)

Top Ten Big Reasons for Being Green: 10. It's not easy being it. 9. A "first year" can still be pea. 8. Alumni love to roll in it. 7. The other "Ivys" are it with envy. 6. Timberwolves, Moose, Granite, etc. just ain't it.

5. Stationery, rear window stickers, and students do not need to change to wear it.

4. Winter wants it. 3. It's central, common, and natural. 2. We can end these years of wondering why we wanted to be any other IT, and go for it. 1. It's Dartmouth!

LEBANON, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Readers ask, "Are premeds too focused?"