Newspapers / InterCom (Durham, N.C.) / Nov. 18, 1970, edition 1 / Page 6
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The First 40 Years II I DUKE HOSPITAL 40 YEARS AGO — This is how the public saw Duke Hospital in 1930 when it opened. The doorway near the center of the picture is no longer used since the new Main Entrance Building was constructed. From the photo, one could imagine that even in 1930 Duke had a bit of a parking problem. (continued from page one) building that is now part of Duke's East €ampus. For the next three years, Dr. Davison wrote in his reminiscences, "those rooms were the medical school. "I had an office in two of those rooms," he recalled. "In one of the other rooms, anatomy was taught to the nurses of Watts Hospital, and in the fourth one,_ Walter Brem Mayer, a junior student on sick leave from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and I continued some enzyme research which had been started in Baltimore." The New Medical Center Construction of the Medical Center was begun on September 1, 1927, at a cost of S3.9 million for the Hospital and Medical School. "We bent the Medical Center in the middle," Dr. Davison explained, "so that the wards would run northwest to southeast and thus obtain the maximum amount of light as well as to take advantage of the low ground in the rear of the campus so that part of the Hospital could have seven stories." Duke University Medical Center with its 400 beds was opened to the public on. Sunday, July 20, 1930, on what Dr. Davison described as "the hottest day I have ever encountered. I lost six pounds and ruined a white linen suit showing visitors through the building and repairing overloaded elevators." About 15,000 persons toured the Medical Center that afternoon. The Hospital was opened to patients the next day. The center was described in the Duke Alumni Register of June, 1930, as ". . .a masterpiece of construction and equipment; Its embodiment of all that American hospitals have learned during recent years in construction, fitting, and design make it the last word in hospital construction and equipment." The Medical Center opened with 31 full-time staff members with another 88 physicians affiliated in some way. About 50 other persons were employed in various areas. According to the Medical Center bulletin of 1930, patients could choose a ward bed for $3 per day or a semi-private room for $4 a day. Private rooms cost between $5 and $9. No extra charge was made for the usual treatments, drugs, and routine laboratory examinations but there was a charge for X-rays, operating room and special examinations and treatments. Teaching Instruction in hospital administration, dietetics, and medical technology began in July and August of 1930, medicine in October of that year, and nursing in January of 1931. The first appointment Dr. Davison made to his medical faculty was Dr. Harold 1_. Amoss as professor of medicine in 1929. Dr. Davison and Dr. Amoss recommended appointment of Dr. Deryl Hart as professor of surgery a month later. They three of them nominated Dr. Wiley D. Forbus as professor of pathology and Miss Bessie Baker as dean of the School of Nursing. • On September 15, 1931, the Private Diagnostic Clinics were organized to coordinate diagnostic studio and improve facilities for private -patients. Most, but not all, of the original clinical faculty received part of their income from the PDC's, but most of the pre-clinical faculty were salaried full-time for nine months. Dr. Davison began collecting volumes for the Duke medical library the day he was appointed dean. By the time the Hospital opened in July, 1930, the library totaled almost 20,000 books. Classes of 30 first-year and 18 third-year medical students were admitted on October 2, 1930, and the nurses were admitted on January 2, 1931. Dr. Lenox D. Baker, professor and former chief of the division of orthopaedic surgery at Duke, was the first medical student admitted. On June 8, 1932, the 18 students who entered their third year two years earlier became Duke's first medical graduates. One member of that class. Dr. Jay M. Arena, is still at Duke as professor of pediatrics and secretary-treasurer of the Medical Alumni Association. Since 1932, through the class of 1970, Duke has conferred 2,702 M.D. degrees. The present staff totals about 240, plus approximately 420 residents and interns. Administration In 1960, Dr. Davison retired and was succeeded as dean by Dr. Barnes Woodhall, a professor of neurosurgery, who also was appointed assistant provost, later associate provost for medical affairs. When Dr. Woodhall relinquished the deanship in 1964 to devote full to his responsibilities for the Medical Center as a whole, he was succeeded by Dr. William G. Aniyan, a professor of surgery. In early 1969, Dr. Aniyan assumed the responsibilities of associate provost along with the deanship and Dr. Woodhall was appointed chancellor pro tern of the University. Since that time. Dr. Aniyan has been (continued on page seven] '
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