Medical School Musings By Neal S. Meritz, MD

Medical School Musings

By Neal S. Meritz, MD

There were only four medical school options in Texas when I applied in the summer of 1967. The possible choices included Southwestern in Dallas, the Medical Branch in Galveston, Baylor in Houston and the brand-new addition to the University of Texas System that was opening in San Antonio. I flew down on Braniff Airlines from my home in Dallas to interview in San Antonio, the most appealing of Texas cities.

The South Texas Medical Center sprang from the open fields of a dairy farm almost 60 years ago. Oak Hills landowners donated the land and Bexar County voters approved a bond issue. San Antonians at that time disagreed strenuously about whether a medical school should be built downtown or on the Northwest Side, far away Left: Neal S. Meritz, MD as a medical student in the 1970s. Right: The South Texas Medical Center in the 1970s. from the population. There were more cows and deer than people in this area during the 1960s. When the Veterans human anatomy and physiology, with pathology and disease states Administration announced their intent to build a massive hospital studied in the second year. Anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and nearby and Santa Rosa revealed plans for a psychiatric unit, the Med- biochemistry were all covered as a unit according to the various body ical Center became a reality. system. We started a course on physical diagnosis immediately and

The offices of the medical school at the time were located at Trinity we saw real patients from the very beginning. My first rotation in the University, so I took a taxi there from the airport. My interviews were clinical third year was pediatrics. This was early 1970 at the height of conducted by Dr. Leon Cander, Chairman of Internal Medicine, and the Diphtheria epidemic of San Antonio. It was my introduction to Dr. Joe Wood, Professor of Anatomy. Dr. Wood and I drove in his dedicated doctors treating really sick children, an experience that imVW Bug to the open fields of the Medical Center where the new pacted and influenced me enormously in my entire career. school was under construction amid the deer and cattle. We wore My interviewers kept their word. I spent the summer between the hard hats on our tour. Methodist Hospital existed, the medical school first and second years in Appalachia. During the fourth year I did a was partially completed and the new Bexar County Hospital was in course in psychiatry at the University of Toronto, followed by a 3the beginning stages of construction. Dr. Wood described the vision month rotation in Ob-Gyn at the University of London. My fellow of Dean Carter Pannill and the forward-thinking concepts of the English medical students gave me my all-time favorite nickname. I early faculty. Dr. Wood promised me, among other things, an inte- was known as “The Colonist.” grated curriculum, early contact with real patients and a senior year Later, I won a full tuition scholarship for my fourth year: $300. composed entirely of electives. I was impressed. My father was thrilled.

The University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio Class of Medical School in San Antonio was truly one of the best experi’72, which was the first class to attend all four years, began on Sep- ences of my life. The University of Texas, now UT Health San Antember 3, 1968. Some students maintained living quarters on the tonio, is presently composed of multiple programs and is well known 12th floor of the unfinished Bexar County Hospital with one wing as a nationally renowned institution. The founders of this school for female nursing and medical students and the other three wings were courageous and wise. The city of San Antonio has been a terfor male medical students. I am married to one of those nursing stu- rific place to practice medicine, raise a family and spend a lifetime. dents. The Class of ’72 consisted of 56 students: 52 men and 4 women. 54 of us were Texas residents. The eagerness of the students Neal S. Meritz, MD is a retired Family Practice physician and the enthusiasm of the faculty were clearly evident. and a member of the BCMS Publications Committee.

The curriculum was indeed cleverly integrated, and a non-traditional model was utilized. First year studies concentrated on normal