6ukc uniucRsity mc6'icM ccntatt
-6
Because of the weather...”
Nature infrequently blesses these climes with pre
cipitation in frozen forms. Ergo, when the great,
grey sky offers down its bounty, striking changes
occur in the emotional as well as physical environ
ment, Pent-up tensions find release; boredom born
of the mundane vanishes; the threat of common dis
aster levels the social structure with high and low
alike sharing the exhilaration. Recitations to one's
fellows of the adventures encountered and obstacles
overcome in commuting to and from the duty station
are matchless in depth of detail and fervor of de
livery.
The locals, with one eye on the outside and the
other on the boss, speculate ceaselessly among them
selves about the necessity and possibility of leav
ing early. The outlanders, reared in colder regions,
derive smug satisfaction from recollections of much
worse days experienced back home in the long-ago and
share perversely in the excitement by downgrading it.
Sprinkled throughout all groups are the heroes who
make it on time in spite of everything, dauntless in
their determination. Counterbalancing the wearisome
merit-seeking are the cowards (sometimes read chisel-
ers) ever ready to chuck it all and head for the hi
bernating shelters until the Bermuda highs take over.
Few events, whether politics or other sporting ex
ploits of all types, can measure up to the genuine
mental therapeutic opportunities opened up when the
announcer drones on,,." Because of the weather tax-
listing at the H.O. Kelly Store has been cancelled
for the day. Everybody is invited to the Playworld
to see the finest collection of sleds available any
where in this area at the lowest possible prices."
Anonymous Dept. Head
CCD Finds a Way to Say Thanks
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Have you noticed all the posters around the Medical
Center for the Aesoulapian the past few weeks? Have
you wondered, "What is an Aesoulapian'!" Well, the
Aesoulapian is the official Duke University Medical .
Center Yearbook and this year its staff is trying even
harder to live up to their title, which is not an easy
task. For instance, did you know that there are over
four thousand employees in the Medical Center? And the
Aesoulapian is going to have many pictures of both
groups and individuals; the housekeeper, the secretary,
the LPN are every bit as much a part of DUMC as the
student and doctor.
This yearbook will have a complete directory of
everybody in the Center, so don't be surprised if your
supervisor asks for an up-to-date address, or ajinounces
that you should be at such-and-such a place one morn
ing for a picture. In fact, they would like your help,
your ideas, whether on layout, advertising, or a better
way to get things done. Their box number is 2889 Hosp
ital, so feel free to chastise them or compliment them
- they need everyone's support.
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For over a year the nursing staff on the coronary
care unit hoped they could find some tangible way of
thanking two very special people whose interest and
enthusiasm have kept the unit in top working order.
The opportunity to do so came when two major pieces of
equipment were purchased for the Myocardial Infarction
Research Unit (MIRU)^ an integral part of the CCU.
In keeping with the common practice of naming large
pieces of electronic equipment to keep them easily
identifiable, a surprise dedication ceremony was ar
ranged, On December 19th, at the annual CCU Christmas
party, all proceedings stopped temporarily at which
time a new Corbin Farnsworth defibrillator was christ
ened "Zipper" in honor of Dr, Douglas Zipes (above left),
cardiac fellow, and a new vector machine was nicknamed
"Winky" in honor of Mr. Gene Wilkie (above right), elec
tronics technician in the Communications Department.
In Dr. Zipes' year and a half association with the
CCU he has continually encouraged "his" nurses to up
grade their education and to become self-directing in
their expanding role as cardiac specialists. When the
emphasis in coronary care switched from treatment to
prevention. Dr. Zipes volunteered a portion of his ex
tremely rare free time to teach the nurses his personal
brand of physical diagnosis. He tackled this project
with characteristic zeal and at times was criticized by
his colleagues for trying to make his pupils "super
nurses". His rationale, however, was that to aid the
doctor in his attempt to practice preventive medicine,
the nurse needs to understand and appreciate the value
of diagnostic signs used by the physician to warn him
of complications.
Gene Wilkie has been a close member of tlie CCU team
since its inception almost two and one half years ago.
During that time he has been responsible for all of the
monitors, defibrillators, and other specialized equip
ment necessary to keep the unit running smoothly. The
maintenance headaches he has to put up with are enor
mous, and how he manages to keep smiling after a days
work is a miracle. He makes a point of coming up to
the unit several times a day, without waiting to be
called, and on several occasions he has come in on his
day off. When it was discovered that he routinely read
memos and messages on the nurses* bulletin board, his
comment was, "It's the only way I can keep up with what's
going on around here, otherwise I'd never know what kind
of devilishness you girls are cooking up!" It's gotten
so that now he even writes a few notes of his own.