Dartmouth Medicine HomeCurrent IssueAbout UsContact UsSearchPodcasts

PDF Version   Printer-Friendly Version

Vital Signs

Then & Now

A reminder of the pace of change, and of timeless truths, from the 1981 DHMC Annual Review:

"Short Stay Surgery offers healthy people an opportunity to have elective, non emergency surgical procedures in a single day," noted a description of one of DHMC's then-new services, which opened in July 1980.

1,400
Approximate number of same-day procedures in 1981

9,600
Approximate number of such procedures in 2008

15%
Percentage of all surgical procedures done on a same-day basis in 1981

53%
Percentage done on a same-day basis in 2008

A reminder of the pace of change, and of timeless truths, from the 1957-58 DMS Bulletin:

The first-year course in Human Histology is "devoted to the microscopy of the cells, tissues, and organs of the human body. . . . Each student is provided with a 300-slide loan collection containing material from all parts of the body. . . . In addition to the student sets, there is available a collection of many thousand slides of human and other vertebrate specimens which are used for demonstration."

150
Number of slides per student in 2008-09-plus numerous "virtual microscopy" slides available on the web

139
Hours in the 1957-58 course

74
Hours in the equivalent course in 2008-09


A reminder of the pace of change, and of timeless truths, from the November-December 1978 issue of "Hitchcock Highlights" newsletter:

"I was born at Mary Hitchcock, I grew up right behind it, and two of my children were born there, so naturally I can't help but have an active interest in the place," said new MHMH board member Joan "Posey" Fowler. "When I was seven years old," she added, "a friend and I got stuck waist-deep in clay while playing near [a Hitchcock] building site. . . . We couldn't move. . . . Some kind men from the Hospital's engineering services department got us out. . . . You can see [why] I have fond and special feelings about joining the board."

2007
Year Fowler was named DHMC's Outstanding Community Ambassador

A reminder of the pace of change, and of timeless truths, from the Spring 1979 issue of this magazine:

In a feature on the effects of seasonal change on the human psyche, Dr. Peter Whybrow, a professor of psychiatry, wrote: "It is in our study of the brain and nervous system that an awareness of the rhythmic nature of many behavior patterns may bear the greatest fruit. . . . Disturbances of these sensitive mechanisms of integration and communication are thought to underlie most serious mental illnesses. . . . There seems to be a peak in the incidence of these illnesses in the spring."

10,510
Number of outpatient psychiatric visits in 1979

38,293
Number of outpatient psychiatric visits in 2007


If you'd like to offer feedback about this article, we'd welcome getting your comments at DartMed@Dartmouth.edu.

This article may not be reproduced or reposted without permission. To inquire about permission, contact DartMed@Dartmouth.edu.

Back to Table of Contents

Dartmouth Medical SchoolDartmouth-Hitchcock Medical CenterWhite River Junction VAMCNorris Cotton Cancer CenterDartmouth College