slang (βlahg), n. [Perh. of Scand. origin, and akin to E., sling; cf. Nor

100 Pages·2006·27.04 MB·English

SEPTEMBER 1994
slang (βlahg), n. [Perh. of Scand. origin, and akin to E., sling;
cf. Nor. slengja kjeftβn (lit., to sling the jaw) to use abusive
language, to use slang, slengjβord a new slang word.]
1. Cant of thieves, beggars, gypsies, etc.
2. The jargon of a particular calling or class of society;
popular cant
3. Language comprising certain widely current but usually
H 05 O CO
ft O
-5 O special senses, or phrases, usually metaphors or similes)
O
having a forced, fantastic, or grotesque meaning, or exhib-
z o
< (D C iting eccentric or extravagant humor or fancy.
I? 3
4. Uhm, like, the cool way students, like, talk now?
<
CO 1
05
i to
< m
ί
ON OUR ASTONISHING LITTLE CORNER
OF THE WORLD.
OUR HOUSES COME
IN 133 FLAVORS.
Bermuda s tidy
little streets have
the world's most
colourful houses.
(Meet you on Pie
Crust Lane?)
WHΛT-YOU'VE-
SEEN-IN-YOUR-
DREΛMS BEACH
High-rises.' Never.
Just pink sand and
turquoise water—less
than two hours
from home.
travel agent or:
gombey dancer
BERMUDA. A SHORT TRIP TO THE PERFECT HOLIDAY.
CORNELL
SEPTEMBER 1994 VOLUME 97 NUMBER 2
26 Yo, You Hepcats.
What Is Up With That Slang Stuff?
BY DIKA LAM, ALBERT PODELL AND JOHN DETMOLD
Have no doubt that students speak their own language. As our corre-
spondents from the 1940s, 1950s and 1990s demonstrate, they always have.
32 How to Raise $1.25 Billion
BY DANIEL GROSS
CornelΓs campaign to raise $1.25 billion will fundamentally reshape
the university.
40 Coming Home
BY BRAD HERZOG
Reunion weekend has many stories of many lives.
Departments
News 24 Research
Cornell will study the Want to run like a husky (i.e., long and strong)? A
feasibility of tapping far Cornell researcher thinks eating more fat might be
into Cayuga's waters to the answer.
chill the university's
57 News of Alumni
plumbing; Provost Nesheim
to retire. 64 Authors
8 Letters 89 Alumni Deaths
What doctors think about pre-medical education.
91 Alumni Activities
14 Letter from Ithaca Incoming and outgoing board members, rare talk, how
Lunch with archivist Gould Colman, the university's to sleep.
institutional memory.
93 Give My Regards To ...
16 Faculty These Cornellians in the News
Prof. Richard Klein's provocative new book, Ciga-
rettes Are Sublime, is getting him a lot of attention.
94 Alumni Calendar
18 Sports
96 Cornelliana
It's an even year, so Big Red football coach Jim
A visit with the nice folks in Cornell, Illinois.
Hofher thinks his team will have a good season.
23 Students 74 Cornell Hosts
An old man of 27 bares his soul about those whip- 80 Professional Directory
persnappers, his senior classmates.
95 Cornell Classifieds
Cornell Magazine (ISSN 1070-2733) is published monthly except for combined issues in January/February and July/August by the Cornell Alumni Federation, 55 Brown Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850-1266.
Subscriptions cost $29 a year. Second-class postage paid at Ithaca, NY and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cornell Magazine, c/o Public Affairs Records, 55 Brown
Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850-1266.
SEPTEMBER 1994
1
NEWS
Cool Cool Waters
FROM THE PUBLISHER
T
Waters from the depths ofCayuga Lake
he American novelist Thomas
Wolfe said you can't go could cool Cornell's facilities and help
home again, but more than
three years ago I returned to preserve the earth's ozone layer
Ithaca and Cornell to live and
work—some four decades after my
graduation in 1949. As special
F
assistant to Cornell Vice President
Dick Ramin '51 and as publisher of ar above Cayuga's wa- heat exchange facility would
Cornell Magazine, I've been lucky ters, buildings on the chill the campus water by draw-
enough to work with a remarkably Cornell campus may ing cold water from a point 200
talented and diverse group of one day be cooled by feet below the surface of Cayuga
people—including Stephen Madden water drawn deep from Lake, where the temperature
'86, who became editor of what the naturally frigid lake. hovers around 40 degrees Fahr-
was then called the Cornell Alumni University officials are enheit. The lake water, which
News at the same time I was studying an innovative cool- would not mix with the water in
named publisher. ing system that would utilize the "closed loop" of the campus
the lake's natural chill to re- chilled water system, would be
Under Madden's direction the place the compressor-driven returned near the lake's surface
magazine has undergone dramatic refrigeration systems at at a temperature of about 50 de-
changes—becoming more colorful Cornell's chilled water plant. grees.
and lively, featuring the work of a Currently, cold
broader range of writers and artists, water generated
and enlarging the tent to include at Cornell's
coverage of Cornell and Cornellians chilled water plant
in the most catholic sense of the is pumped
word. The change from Cornell throughout the
Alumni News to Cornell Magazine campus, providing CAYUGA HEAT
reflects that enlarged, more inclu- air conditioning EXCHANGE
LAKE FACILITY
sive sense of the magazine, and and humidity con-
the five awards the magazine has trol to 40 percent
won from the Council for the Ad- of the buildings.
vancement and Support of Educa- The proposed
tion in the last three years is in- $50 million lake-
dicative of the success of these source cooling
changes. system would re-
duce the chilled
But as with so many other things in water plant's an- DEGREES IN FAHRENHEIT
life, with both returns and depar- nual electricity
tures, it's time for me to move on. demand by 90 per- Heat exchange facility chills the campus water by
Madden, who became associate cent—or by about drawing cold water from 200 feet below the
publisher last year, will now be $1.5 million annu- surface of Cayuga Lake, where the temperature is
publisher of Cornell Magazine as ally—and would around 40 degrees Fahrenheit Lake water does
well as its editor. Andrew eliminate the not mix with the water in the "closed loop" of the
Wallenstein '86, the business and plant's depen- campus system and is returned near the lake's
systems manager, will now be the dence on chloro- surface at a temperature of about 50 degrees.
associate publisher. I'll be staying fluorocarbons,
in Ithaca to live and work as a which have been
consultant on. various projects, implicated in the erosion of The major environmental
including this magazine, which the earth's ozone layer. question arising from the lake-
shows that despite what Thomas If installed, Cornell's cen- source cooling proposal is the
Wolfe said, sometimes you really tral chilled water system impact of returning heated wa-
can go home again. would be diverted downhill to ter to the lake. Department of
—Jack Krieger '49 a new heat exchange facility Natural Resources Professor
near the lake's shore. The Ray Ogelesby, predicts that the
CORNELL MAGAZINE
SUSAN H. MURPHY
NAMED VICE PRESIDENT
Susan H. Murphy 73, PhD '94, has
been named vice president for stu-
dent and academic services, accord-
PROVOST NESHEIM TO
ing to Provost Maiden C. Nesheim.
She will succeed Larry Palmer, who STEP DOWN
has returned to teaching at the Law Provost Maiden C. Nesheim, PhD
school. '59, will retire as provost in June
Murphy had served as dean of 1995, 39 years after he first came
impact of the system would be admissions and financial aid since to Cornell as a graduate student.
much less than that of Milliken 1985, working through a period of Nesheim, 62, plans to continue at
Station, a coal-fired power shrinking state and federal aid as well Cornell as a professor of nutritional
plant located several miles as a shrinking pool of college-aged sciences.
north of Ithaca on the lake's people. "Susan's leadership has Nesheim said that the timing
east shore. maintained the quality and quantity intentionally coincides with that of
Annually, Cornell's con- of applicants and has sustained a fi- President Frank H.T. Rhodes.
ventional chilled water plant nancial-aid program that balances "While I had initially planned to
system uses enough electric- generosity with budgetary respon- limit my service as provost to five
ity to power 2,500 conven- sibility/' Provost Nesheim said. years, I'm pleased to serve a little
tional single-family homes, Murphy's new job, which she longer at Frank Rhodes's request,"
according to Robert Bland, uni- assumed July 1, will include respon- Nesheim said.
versity environmental engi- sibility for the Dean of Students Of- As provost of Cornell, Nesheim
neer in the Division of Fa- fice, Campus Life, fraternities and so- was responsible for the budget and
cilities and Campus Ser- rorities, the Public Service Center for academic programs, except
vices. and student services such as the those at the medical college. Dur-
The lake-source cool- registrar's offices, the Career Cen- ing his tenure, Nesheim worked to
ing system would require ter and the Learning Skills Center. retain state aid during a series of
less electrical power than Murphy sees a lot of work ahead budget cuts from the state and to
the current system be- on issues such as housing, fraterni- help university staff and faculty
cause it does not use com- ties and sororities, gay and lesbian adjust to an era of fiscal constraint.
pressors. Bland empha- issues and continuing Palmer's com- "Mai Nesheim has been a su-
sizes that the lake-source mitment to integrating academic and perb provost," said Rhodes. "He
system, if approved, extracurricular life. However, has been deliberate but thorough,
would not become opera- Murphy said that her major challenge solicitous but decisive, respectful
tional before 1998. The will focus on "development of a and supportive of every area of our
university has decided to sense of community." academic life but also focused on
make its plans public in "We have a wonderful array of the exigencies of managing a large
this early phase in order communities, but the great challenge institution. He leaves the entire
to solicit more input. is to develop a true sense of com- university in his debt."
munity—sin- Nesheim grew up on an Illinois
gular—within farm. He became assistant profes-
that diver- sor in 1959. In 1974, he became the
MATH WHIZ sity," Murphy first director of the Division of Nu-
A recently-graduated Ithaca High School student, Jeremy Bern, said. tritional Sciences. For the two
son of Cornell psychology professors Daryi and Sandra Bern, was A former years before he became provost,
on a six-member team of American high school students that high school Nesheim served Cornell as vice
achieved an unprecedented perfect score at the International guidance coun- president for planning and budget-
Mathematical Olympiad in Hong Kong in July. Bern's team recorded selor, Murphy ing.
the only perfect score in the 35-year history of the tournament, as has continually
the Americans beat teams from 68 other countries. Sandra Bern sought out stu-
told the New York Times that her son's interest in math began dent input at
early. When she read him bedtime stones, she said, "He was more Cornell. Dur-
interested in the page numbers than in the story. He liked abstract ing 1991 protests by minority students who were con-
symbol systems." Jeremy Bern was scheduled to enter Cornell as cerned about government cuts in financial aid, Murphy
a freshman this fall. met with students in a series of forums—and she con-
tinued those forums even after the crisis ended.
SEPTEMBER 1994
CORNELL
NEWS
M A G A Z I NE
is owned and published by the Cornell Murphy was the first woman '64, Robert W. Miller '55 and Robert
Alumni Federation under the direction dean of admissions and financial aid A. Paul '59. Trustee fellows partici-
of its Cornell Magazine Committee.
at Cornell and in the entire Ivy pate on the board, but cannot cast
League. She also is Cornell's first ballots in formal votes.
CORNELL MAGAZINE COMMITTEE woman vice president since 1980, Professor Richard E. Schuler,
Sherry Lynn Diamond '76, Chairman when Constance Cook '41, JD '43 re- economics and engineering, has suc-
David Bentley '64 signed as vice president for land grant ceeded Isaac Kramnick as faculty-
Richard J. Levine '62 affairs. elected trustee.
Sheryl Hilliard Tucker 78
Peter H. Coy 79
Alan Flaherty '62 VET COLLEGE DEAN STUDENT HEALTH
For the Alumni Federation: RETURNS TO TEACHING INSURANCE COST RISES
Peter A. Janus '67, President
James D, Hazzard '50, Robert D; Phemister, PhD '60 will The cost of the 1994-1995 student
Secretary-Treasurer leave the deanship of the College of health insurance plan will increase
For the Assn. of Class Officers: Veterinary Medicine to return to 5.3 percent for individual coverage
Debra Neytnan Silverman '85, teaching in June 1995. while the cost for insuring spouses
President Phemister, who in nine years led and children will increase slightly
the college through an overhaul of the less.
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER-.• :
academic curriculum, through cut- For 1994-1995, the premium for
Stephen Madden '86
backs in state aid and a major con- a basic individual student plan will be
MANAGING EDITOR struction campaign, is professor of $580, up from current levels of $551.
Elsie McMillan '55 pathology. After a year of administra- Coverage for a spouse will cost an
ASSOCIATE EDITOR tive leave, he will resume teaching at additional $1,505, μp 3.7 percent from
the college. $1,451; coverage for one or more
Paul Cody, MFA '87
A search committee for the next children is $850, up 4.9 percent from
ASSISTANT EDITOR dean will be formed by President $810.
Meg Feury '94 Frank H.T. Rhodes and Provost "We considered numerous sug-
ART DIRECTOR Maiden C. Nesheim in consultation gestions for added substantive ben-
Stefanie Green with the Executive Committee of the efits," noted Leonard Nissenson,
College of Veterinary Medicine. administrator of Gannett Health Cen-
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Before coming to Cornell, Phem- ter and a negotiator with the insur-
Andrew Wallenstein '86 ister was dean of the veterinary col- ance carrier. "The increase of about 5
ADVERTISING SALES lege at Colorado State University for percent is intended to cover inflation
Alanna Downey eight years. in costs for the existing plan, though,
compared to health costs nationally,
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
it's a pretty small increase."
Barbara Bennett TRUSTEES ELECT NEW
PRODUCTION MEMBERS
LEO MELTZER
Dolores Teeter Cornell's Board of Trustees has
DIES
SUBSCRIBER SERVICES elected three new members and re-
elected eight trustees and fellows. The Leo Meltzer, professor of psychol-
Adele Durham Robinette
actions took place May 28, during the ogy and sociology, died June 4 in
EDITORIAL AND BUSINESS OFFICES trustees' final meeting of the year. Ithaca at the age of 67.
55 Brown Road During the same meeting, the Meltzer retired in 1990 as asso-
Ithaca, NY 14850 board re-elected its three vice chair- ciate professor. He had been a mem-
(607) 257-5133; FAX (607) 257-1782
persons to one-year terms: Ronald ber of the Cornell faculty since 1958
E-Mail; Cornetl_Magazine@Comell£du
P. Lynch '58, Patricia Carry Stewart and twice served as assistant chair
NATIONAL ADVERTISING
'50 and Harold Tanner '52. in the Department of Psychology. He
REPRESENTATIVE
The three new at-large trustees, chaired the Dean's Committee to
John Donoghue
Ivy League Magazine Network elected to four-year terms that be- Design the Social Sciences Building
305 Madison Avenue, Suite 1436 gan July 1, are Ellen Gussman (Uris Hall) and was director of the
New York, NY 10165 Adelson '58, Harvey Kinzelberg '67 Interdepartmental Program in Social
[phone] and Martin Y. Tang 70. Psychology.
Three trustees-at-large were re- A specialist in nonverbal commu-
elected to four-year terms: Jon A. nication, cognitive consistency
Lindseth '56, Carol C. Takton '59 and theory and group dynamics, Meltzer
Issued monthly except for combined issues in January/ Bruce S. Raynor 72. held grants from the National Insti-
February and July/August. Single copy price: $3.25. Re-elected to four-year terms as tute of Mental Health, the National
Yearly subscription: $29, United States and posses-
sions; $44, foreign. Printed by The Lane Press, South trustee fellows are James L. Institute of General Medical Sci-
Burlington, VT. Copyright © 1994, Cornell Magazine.
Rights for republication of all matter are reserved. Broadhead '58, Barber B. Conable ences and the National Science Foun-
aPzriinnete,d c /ion PUu.Sbl.Aic. ASfefnaidr sa dRderceosrsd cs,h a5n5g Besr otwo nC oRrdn.,e Illt hMacaag,- Jr.'42, LLD '48, Ronay A. Menschel dation.
NY 14850-1266.
CORNELL MAGAZINE
LESSON
Wirien you. comae back to scJkooJL
do it in t
Louie ibacik to 1 lie Dtatl
It's a fact. If you're a Cornell graduate visiting Ithaca, there's only
one place to stay: The Statler Hotel. Why? Because only
The Statler is located right on the beautiful Cornell
campus, which you know and love.
Only The Statler overlooks the McGraw Clock Tower
and Cayuga Lake. Only The Statler is a stroll away
from Cornell's beautiful waterfalls and footbridges.
And only The Statler is a short walk through
campus to Collegetown, should you be tempted
to find out if the initials you carved are still there.
Just as our location is the area's best, our
accommodations are Ithaca's finest. You'll find
your room to be comfortable and graciously
appointed, and our service to be one of a kind.
As the teaching hotel for the world-renowned
School of Hotel Administration, The Statler staff
includes attentive professionals and enthusiastic
Cornell students from around the world. Eager to
learn the lessons of the hospitality industry, these
students bring a willingness and dedication to their
work that makes The Statler unique.
It all adds up to a memorable experience and an
outstanding value. So come back to school. Cheer for
the home team. Rendezvous with an old friend or
classmate for a game of tennis or a drink in the lounge.
Relive your student days. Recapture old memories.
Reminisce about the past as you relax in the present.
Come back to Cornell in style. Come back to The Statler.
For reservations, call: 607-257-2500 or 800-541-2501, or fax [phone].
Our subject is service. Your satisfaction is our success.
THE HOTEL SCHOOϋ
HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT
/HOTEL CORNELL
• J.Willard Marriott •
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION CENTER
U N I V E R S I TY
New Incredibly Special on Classifieds!
NEWS
Low
ThinkPad^
500 Target 50,000
EARL BROOKS
Notebook
DEAD AT 80 Cornell alumni
486SLC2/50MHZ • DOS 6.1 and Prodigy
Processor with 16K Software Emeritus Professor in the School of and their
Cache • 3.4/3.7 lbs Industrial and Labor Relations, Earl
4MB RAM • 1-YearEasyServ
Brooks, died May 30 at his Ithaca
Expandable tυ 12MB Warranty families for
External 3.5" 1.44MB 85MB Hard Drive home. He was 80 years old.
Floppy Disk Drive #$777063 An expert in management, per- 15-30% off
7.4" Monochrome 799
sonnel and negotiations, Brooks was
STN Backlit LCD,
640 x 480, a member of the Cornell faculty for regular rates.
64 Grayscales 47 years. He joined the faculty in
PCMCIA Slot,
170MB Hard Drive 1947. In 1955, Brooks joined the
Trackpoint II, Dual
VGA Support, #777104 Johnson Graduate School of Manage- Special applies to regular and display
Serial/FD Port with $999 ment, where he served until his re- classifieds at the 3-to-10-time frequency
Adapter, Parallel Port While supplies last. as follows:
tirement in 1984.
Pad is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
After his retirement, Brooks con-
Over 5,000 National-Branded Computer Products
Everyday Discounted Prices Toil-Free Ordering with FREE Technical Support tinued teaching at the School of Hotel *> 3—5 insertions 15% off
Same Day Shipping on All In-Stock Items Corporate Accounts Invited standard rates
Administration and at the College of
Human Ecology. *> 6—8 insertions 20% off
1-800-395-1000 During his tenure on the Hill, standard rates
Brooks served as director of Cor-
In Illinois [phone] *+ 9—10 insertions 30% off
7350 N. Under Ave. Skokie, Illinois 60077 nell's Executive Development Pro- standard rates
ELEK-TEK is not responsible for printing or typographical errors gram and was a management consult-
Prices subject to change without notice.
BH003 ant to major corporations in the ar- See page 94 for details.
eas of management development,
negotiations, organization, commu-
nication and objectives.
A Contest!
LESLIE SEVERINGHAUS
For All
DIES
Dr. Leslie R. Severinghaus '21, an
Readers
educator, philanthropist and former
member of the Cornell University
Board of Trustees died in Coconut
Grove, Florida June 22. He was 94.
Severinghaus was sent to China
in the 1920s by the Medical Board of
SUPPORT OUR
the Rockefeller Foundation, and be- Find the bogus classified ad or ads
came head of the English Depart-
ADVERTISERS in this issue (see p. 95) and be eli-
ment of the Peking Union Medical
College. He later became Headmas- gible to win a free gift subscription
ter of the Haverford School in to Cornell Magazine.
THEY
Haverford, Pennsylvania and a mem- Simply write down the first
ber of the College Examination
SUPPORT word of the bogus classified ad or
Board. In 1990 the Henry Luce Foun-
dation honored Severinghaus on his ads you and send your entry to
90th birthday with a $1 million grant Cornell Magazine Contest, 55
Cornell
to Cornell for the Leslie R. Sev- Brown Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850.
eringhaus Asian Reading Room in
Magazine Each month a winning name
the Carl A. Kroch Library. He was
the recipient of honorary degrees will be drawn from among the cor-
from the University of Pennsylvania, rect responses submitted.
When you respond to an
Temple University and Trinity Col- Entries must be received by
800 number, mention lege, and was awarded the Cornell
the last day of the month of publi-
Medal for distinguished service to
the Ivy League® Magazine
the university in 1968. cation.
Network when asked where
(For more on Severinghaus see
CORNELL
you saw the ad. page 59.)
—Joe Schwartz
CORNELL MAGAZINE
:SSON #IE
66 V
JLOU1 G&I2
mix business wit Hi pleasure.
aέ 1 lid
If you're
We're
arranging a
equipped with
business meeting or advanced technologies,
conference, look no further than including teleconferencing. And like
The Statler Hotel. Our unique combination of superb everyone on The Statler staff, the in-house audio-visual
facilities and beautiful surroundings results in meetings technician is also eager to help make your function
that are successful...even memorable. a success.
As the teaching hotel of the world-renowned School of After your meeting, The Statler offers unique
Hotel Administration and a dedicated center for executive opportunities for relaxation. Rediscover the beautiful
education, The Statler has the facilities, flexibility, and Cornell campus with its cascading waterfalls and rocky
expertise to orchestrate with ease even the most complex gorges. Perhaps you would prefer a round of golf on the
meeting arrangements. Our 25,000 square feet of func- Robert Trent Jones Course, a game of squash, or 20 laps
tion space includes a 92-seat amphitheater; an 890-seat in the pool. As our guest, the exceptional athletic facilities
auditorium; breakout rooms for 10 to 110 people; of Cornell University are yours to enjoy.
and 8 different banquet rooms for groups of 10 to 350.
So before your next meeting, call one of the experienced
Everything is designed to comfortably accommodate conference planners at The Statler Hotel. We will be
your specific meeting requirements. Long session? pleased to discuss your specific needs and help you plan
Our amphitheater has ergonomically designed 18-hour the perfect function - the successful mixture of business
chairs. Special audio-visual equipment needs? and pleasure - at The Statler.
For reservations, call: 607-257-2500 or 800-541-2501, or fax [phone].
Our subject is service. Your satisfaction is our success.
THE HOTEL SCHOOL"
HOSPITALITY - MANAGEMENT
_ 'HOTEL CORNELL
• J.Willard Marriott •
EXECUTIVE EDUCATION CENTER
U N I V E R S I TY
LETTERS
What Doctors Think About Pre Meds
Editor: Prof. Ganem's recent contri- part-time teaching or went into chemistry background stronger than
bution ("Hippocrates, Who?" June) academia full time, not to mention my classmates' and even some of my
was nothing new in my eyes, and those of us who gave free time to biochemistry teachers' in med
nothing uncommon at institutions clinics for the indigent or near-indi- school. Although I found some of the
across the country. I am fortunate to gent. It is my feeling that Professor courses interesting, I also have found
attend a medical school (the Univer- Ganem can relax. most of what I learned useless in my
sity of Rochester's) where the bio- Shepard G. Aronson '33, MD '37 career or life. This is not a criticism
psychosocial model prevails, where Tappan, New York of the chemistry department. It does,
the patient and their illness, as well however, question why undergradu-
as family, friends and social situation Editor: Prof. Ganem is wrong when ate chemistry is required by medical
are not thought of as separate enti- he refers to dentistry, osteopathy and schools. I believe that it is a combi-
ties. This creates an environment podiatry as "health-related profes- nation of hazing and selection of the
where the majority of my classmates sions." Hospital and insurance ad- most mentally hardy. Its content is
enter medicine to improve society. ministration are "health-related pro- largely irrelevant to the practice of
However, there still is that clique fessions." Dentists, osteopaths and medicine.
who wish to enter the "high-tech, podiatrists are health professionals Today, and more so as time goes
high-pay and high-profile" medical just as much as medical doctors are. on, with managed care, clerks at uti-
community of which Prof. Ganem After graduating from Cornell, I lization control companies are mak-
speaks with great disdain. It is un- went to podiatry college for four ing the bulk of medical decisions. It
fortunate that most premeds years and did a residency, just saves money to tell doctors how to
won't realize what medicine as medical doctors do. To im- practice. It's sad to think that today's
is really about until they ply that tooth or foot special- medical students will spend ten of
witness their first 15-year- ists are only "related" to pa- their potentially most productive
old dying of cancer, the per- tier/ 5' health not only demeans years getting a credential which con-
son who can't pay the hos- thousands of health profession- sists largely of irrelevant material
pital bill since they have no als and their training, but sug- which gives them the right to take
insurance or the family gests that these parts of the orders from a high school dropout in
struggling to decide whether or not body are less important than, for front of a computer screen at the
to discontinue life-support on their example, the internal organs. What utilization control company. All this
comatose mother. What saddens me would Hippocrates say to that? will be rewarded with a salary com-
even more is that even after seeing I am also surprised that Prof. parable to that of a middle manager—
this, many will never understand the Ganem complains about the number and 24 hour a day responsibility.
true healing art of medicine. Here's of students studying chemistry. We So why do students continue to
hoping that we can start medical often hear about how Americans are take these courses and go into medi-
reform from the bottom up, begin- poorly educated in the sciences. cine? It's a mystery. Soon the best
ning with attitudes. Surely not all of the freshmen he and brightest will figure out that it
David W. Toth '92 interviews will actually go on for a isn't worth the effort (if they haven't
Rochester, New York medical education; perhaps some of already done so). Who will be taking
them will choose "pure" sciences as care of us when we're old? That's
Editor: Bruce Ganem's piece brings an alternative, when they realize that what I would worry about, Prof.
to mind the mixed motivations of my "they don't want to be around sick Ganem. In the meantime, teach your
own Cornell Medical College class- people." Their lives will have been students well. Knowledge is always
mates of 1937. We had just been enriched by the science courses they of interest whether it has practical
through the Great Depression and took while at Cornell. application or not. Making it inter-
the necessity to support a family was Dr. Laura Rabinowitz esting is what your job is about and
looming in the near future. A large Lefkowitz '85 it appears that you do it well.
percentage of us were burdened with Rochester, New York Dr. Stephen H. Goldberger, '69
loans and the necessity to work while Grand Forks, North Dakota
keeping up our grades as premeds Editor: I enjoyed Prof. Ganem's his-
and as medical students. Neverthe- torical points, but what was his point
HARMLESS TO HUMANS
less, as I recall the careers of my in writing the article? As a former
classmates, I can vouch for the fact chemistry major who went to medi- Editor: I read Mara Bovsun's "Food
that a goodly percentage did either cal school 25 years ago, I found my Fight" Oime) and remembered the
CORNELL MAGAZINE