Vital Signs
Then & Now
A reminder of the pace of change, and of timeless truths, from Dartmouth Medical School: The First 175 Years by Carleton B. Chapman:
"The other significant
appointment at the time was
Oliver Wendell Holmes, the
poet-physician of Boston. . . .
Although he lectured at
Dartmouth only two years,
the remarkable fact is that
he left his beloved Boston at
all. He . . . accepted the job
as Professor of Anatomy on
12 July 1838 . . . [but] had . . .
misgivings about moving
from the 'hub of the solar
system' to the backwoods."
6
DMS faculty in 1838
2,185
DMS faculty in 2010
32
Graduates of DMS in 1838
192
Graduates of DMS in 2010
A reminder of the pace of change, and of timeless truths, from the 1902 DMS Circular of Information:
In the second-year course in
Bacteriology, "special attention
is given to the examination
of sputum for tubercle
bacilli, to the diagnosis
of diphtheria, the technic of
the Widal serum diagnosis in
typhoid fever, and to staining
gonorrhoeal pus. Each
student is required to isolate
a number of different organisms.
Special instruction is
given to any student desirous
of doing research work."
2000
Year DMS began a clinical
trial of a new tuberculosis
vaccine, in partnership with
a Tanzanian medical school
2009
Year the researchers
announced that the trial
showed a 39% reduction in
the rate of definite TB
A reminder of the pace of change, and of timeless truths, from a 1991 his tory of Mary Hitchcock Hospital:
"The hospital continued to
enjoy . . . the material and
financial support of the
community. Contributions
took many forms, from x-ray
machines (the hospital's
first, in 1903, was the gift of
four Hanover residents . . .)
to assorted amenities for patients
[such as, in 1906-07]:
'cream, milk, jellies, flowers,
string beans, cucumbers,
apples, summer squash,
grape-fruit, [and] piccalilli.'
. . . It became traditional to
rely on private donations of
fresh produce [and] canned
goods . . . to feed patients."
$28.5 million
Contributions (in dollars,
rather than in pecks of
produce) to DHMC
and DMS in 2009-10
A reminder of the pace of change, and of timeless truths, from the Spring 1981 issue of this magazine:
"In June [1981], Dr. James
Strickler will step down after
eight years as dean of the
Medical School." During his
tenure, "the annual budget
has doubled, but the deficit
[he inherited] has declined
steadily" and "the faculty . . .
has increased by 50%. . . .
As to his own plans, he
will return to his former
dedication as a teacher, . . .
both at home and abroad."
6
Number of months that
Strickler (and his wife)
spent working at a refugee
camp in Thailand after he
stepped down as dean
30
Number of years since then
(so far) that he has spent
teaching and supporting
global health initiatives
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