PLAN OF INSTRUCTION GENERAL STATEMENT As in other departments of the University, instruction in the Medical School extends from the middle of August to the middle of May. The academic year is divided into half-years of sixteen weeks duration. The first half-year extends from August to the Christmas recess; the second from January to the close of the academic year. The faculty is in sympathy with the principle which allows the student great freedom in choosing the direction his studies shall take. A system of instruction has been inaugurated which will permit free time for elective work. The course of instruction is in harmony with the principles adopted by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Following the terminology employed by that association, the amount of work required in various subjects is indicated by the number of hours devoted to them. But in the case of the pre-clinical subjects-anatomy, physiology, biological chemistry, pharmacology, pathology, and bacteriology-the courses are also assigned a "unit" value such as other departments of this University employ. This expression is used since, under certain conditions, the subjects mentioned may be elected by non-medical students to fulfill the requirements for degrees other than the medical. In so far as the courses required for medical students are concerned, these units have no particular significance. The elective courses in these departments, however, may be taken by medical students in fulfilling requirements for a Master's degree, and the required courses may be counted in the combined course as fulfilling units for the A.B. degree, as well as leading towards the degree of M.D. During the first year and one-half in the Medical School, students must conform to the general University rules of registration. Both matriculation and University work are measured in units.'' A unit is one "hour" (50 minutes) of the students' time weekly for one-half year in lectures or recitation together with the time necessary in preparation therefor; or a longer time in laboratory or other exercise not requiring preparation. Thirty-two units represent the work of the average year. During the remainder of the period in the Medical School, the student must conform to the curriculum as herein set forth. In general, the five-year curriculum leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine falls into four periods: first, that devoted to the preclinical subjects; second, that occupied by prescribed clinical instruction; third, the elective period; and fourth, the intern or laboratory year. Selected students may take their laboratory year after any half-year of prescribed work. As the requirements for admission are such that the student enters after he has received training in physics, inorganic and organic chemistry, and biology, these subjects are not taught in the Medical School. The first period of instruction covers three half-years and is devoted to anatomy, histology, physiology, biological chemistry, bacteriology and immunology. Nearly all the work in these subjects is obligatory. They provide the basis for the study of clinical medicine; and the laboratory instruction which occupies the major portion of the student's time during this period is planned to develop powers of accurate observation. Approximately one-half of the second half of the second year is devoted to work in the pathological laboratory. The remainder of the time is largely devoted to the propedeutics of medicine and surgery such as, physical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, clinical physiology and elementary surgery. It is aimed to train further the faculty of critical observation and to instill into the student good habits in systematically carrying on the examination of patients and recording the results. Pharmacology and materia medica are also taught during this half-year. Obligatory clinical instruction continues through the third year and is given in the classroom, the clinical laboratory, the dispensary, and at the bedside. In the Out-Patient Department students take the histories of patients and make the necessary examinations under the direction of the attending staff. In the wards they are assigned cases for thorough study and have every opportunity to become familiar with therapeutic methods. During the first half of this year, instruction in neurology, dermatology, pediatries and obstetrics is begun. During the second half, short introductory courses in the specialties aim to familiarize the student in the use of various diagnostic methods, such as the use of the ophthalmoscope, laryngoscope, cystoscope, etc. In the first half of the fourth year the required work in the major subjects is completed and, for the remainder of this period, the class is divided into sections for instruction in the several specialties. The last half of the fourth year is devoted to electives, offered by all departments of the School. Throughout the entire clinical period, the work in the various clinical laboratories is carried on in connection with the section work in the wards and out-patient department. During the third and fourth years, one morning each week is set aside in order that the classes may attend amphitheater clinics in medicine and surgery and clinico-pathological conferences. DEPARTMENTS OF INSTRUCTION ANATOMY HERBERT MCLEAN EVANS, B.S., M.D., Professor of Anatomy. Assistant in Anatomy. Assistant in Anatomy. The courses of instruction in anatomy are given in Berkeley. The classes in gross anatomy are divided into small groups in order to avoid the inevitable noise and disturbance which result from a large group of students working together. Material for dissection is prepared in the embalming room, which is equipped with the necessary hydraulic apparatus to inject both the embalming fluids and the color masses for the arteries and veins in any desired pressure. After this process is com pleted the bodies are preserved in a carbolic solution. The teaching museum consists of specially prepared corrosions, injec tions, dissections, and models. The laboratory for microscopic anatomy is outfitted with microtomes and is supplied with all the stains and reagents necessary for the ordinary and finer methods of microscopic preparation. The routine work of the department falls into the natural divisions of gross and microscopic anatomy, and some effort is made to have the transition between the two as gradual as possible. Inasmuch as the process of formal education must end sooner or later, the department endeavors as far as possible to make the students entirely independent. This is further encouraged in the elective system, by which a certain amount of selection is allowed in the regular work of the department. |