University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1912-10-30

Disease in it's varied forms-this is
the fundamental subject with which
the student in the School of Medicine
of the University of Missouri occupies
diate subject under consideration, his
ultimate aim is to be able to success
fully cope with disease. He must
learn to know the anatomy of the
body as machinist knows the mech
anism of piece of machinery, but
only as a means toward cOnQuering
the common enemy of man-disease.
The visitor to the medical laborato-
ries sees on every hand objects of in
terest, but from the millions of deadly
bacteria which repose in little glass
tubes to the various parts of the
human body preserved as examples of
the deadly effect of these tiny mon
sters, all testify to the grim charac-
ter of the work. For the student of
medicine is concerned with that part
of our lives which most of us do
not care to reflect upon-sickness and
death.
The medical science of today, how
ever. is very unlike that of two CEN
turies ago. For not only are we
teaching men to cure the diseases of
the human body, but we have now
advanced step farther and are teach
ing the individual how to care for
himself in such way that much of
the disease may be avoided. Accord
ing to the old proverb IAN ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure"
and this is the theory upon which the
department of Preventive Medicine is
built
The School of Medicine in Columbia
was one of the first schools in the
country to add this department. The
aim is to furnish the masses of the
people with information regarding the
prevention of infectious diseases in
the belief that disease may thus be
materially lessened.
When the student enters the Schaol
of Medicine here he gets during the
first year a course of instruction in
the anatomy of the normal body,
which includes laboratory work in
dissecting, study of the functions
and workings of the various parts of
the body and microscopic study of
the minute anatomy of the body. In
the second year the student expert
ments with various drugs and notes
the effect they produce on certain ami
mails. Later in the course the theory
of disease is taken up. Disease cul-
lures taken from patients are studied
and the changes which they produce
on the tissues are noted.
Only two years of medical work is
given by the school here and there
fore the student does not get much
actual practice; however. a short
course is being given this year by
DIR. Woodson Moss which is intended
as an Introductory course to clinical
work. The course consists of practice
work in the examination of patients
in the hospital here, so that when the
student leaves here he is well pre-
pared to take up the more advanced
work in the clinical schools.
In laboratory equipment the School
of Medicine here compares very fav-
Orably with any other school of it's
class. On the second floor of the
Medical Building are the anatomical ,
laboratories. At the west end is the
dissecting room, where are kept sew
eral well-preserved cadavers which
are used in dissection. Two students
are assigned to each body, which is
dissected minutely, drawings being
made of each bone and tissue as it is
located by the student. In connection
with the work in dissection every two
students are provided with a complete
skeleton for studying the shape and
relative location of the bones. One of
the methods for the study of anatomy
employed in the school here is the
study of cross sections of the body.
This method was originated in the
School of Medicine here in 1900 and
has since been adopted by schools all
over the country
In the histology room are micro
scopes, microtomes and other appara-
tus used in the study of the more
minute tissues of the body Some of
these tissues are so very minute that