SCHOOL OF ANATOMY AND MATERIA MEDICA.
Professor Towles.
Anatomy.—The instruction in Descriptive, Surgical and Topographical
Anatomy is given by didactic lectures combined with the
course of Practical Anatomy as taught in the Dissecting Hall. The
endeavor throughout is to render the teaching as completely practical
as possible; no statement is made that is not illustrated by its exhibition,
either on the actual dissection or on the preparation of a dissection, the
effort being to convey knowledge in the so-called natural method—that
is, by mental imagery formed by repeated observations of nature. This
is accomplished by exhibiting to the student and requiring him to
handle the dissected parts and preparations made therefrom. The
equipment of the School for this purpose is most ample.
For the course in Practical Anatomy, dissecting material obtained
under the permissive law of the State is abundantly supplied without
cost to the student. Attendance in the dissecting-room is compulsory,
a strict record being kept in the case of each student. Besides the oral
examination which precedes each lecture, and the other examinations
to be mentioned hereafter, each student is required to stand eight practical
examinations—one upon osteology, one upon the ligaments, four
upon different parts of the muscular system, one on the viscera, and
one on the vessels and nerves. These examinations are oral and private,
each student being examined alone. They consist of the identification
of the truths of anatomy on the bones, the cadaver, and the dissected
cadaver, and are thus a perfect test of the student's acquaintance with
the gross structure of the human body.
Materia Medica and Therapeutics.—Particular stress is laid upon
physiological action and rational therapeutical application of drugs.
The physical properties of drugs are taught by requiring the student
to learn them from specimens, a complete collection being provided,
which contains specimens both of all the crude drugs and of all their
preparations, which have been dealt with in the lectures.
Text-books.—Bruce's Materia Medica and Therapeutics; United States Pharmacopœia,
or Index of Materia Medica. The student should provide himself with
a disarticulated skull. Specimens of the other bones are loaned from the University
collection.
