Oxford Medical School 70 years ago Professor Terence Ryan

The Oxford Clinical School in 1953: Notes from President of Osler House’s Diary

Professor Terence Ryan

(Worcester College, 1950) Retired Consultant Dermatologist

In 1940 a clinical school was improvised in Oxford to cater for students who would normally have been joining London Medical Schools but were evacuating their students. After much argument the Medical School was fully established in 1946. Prof Terence Ryan (1953) shares his memories of that time.

The Clinical School

I enjoyed being a clinical medicine student in 1953, as part of two intakes of eight students, the smallest intake in any year. We were looked after well in Osler House previously bought and so named by Lord Nuffield.

We were tutored in groups of four in the neighbouring Radcliffe Infirmary by the Nuffield Professors Witts and Chassar-Moir, doctors Mallam, Cooke, and surgeons Mr Corry, Mr Till and Mr Elliot-Smith. However, the small firms often relied on the first assistant to do the teaching. The Surgical Tutor (Mr Harold Ellis) was especially friendly and even took part in my Tynchewyke Pantomime.

The great debate of our time was whether there should be undergraduate clinical students. Some, like Professor Witts wanted the Medical School to be small and postgraduate. Others, like Curt Hellman felt students “must have done research without showing he had any other interests,” and loathed the “rugger” or “Tynchewyke” types. Several members voted against even thinking of a sports pavilion. In the debate, I noted “Why shouldn’t medical students be treated as intelligent human beings and not just as something you had to teach? Badenoch, Reynell, and Chassar-Moir ignore students unless they are teaching them.” I remember we thought they should come and cheer us at every Saturday afternoon rugby match.

We also discussed whether GPs should be recruited to teach us in the hospital. Very few in 1953 had agreed to have us sitting in their consultations in family practice. The Gastroenterologist Dr Sydney Truelove in 1955 had clearly expressed to some students his view that “GPs should be more involved as clinical assistants in hospital practice leaving me in my role as an academic more appreciated and enabled to do research”. He also apparently said “students are part and parcel of the hospital and should be available to help at all times”. We were not quite so keen on that idea believing in the importance of sport and play.

Student Life

I was elected President of Osler House in 1954 and I have my rather long and pompous notes written before student meetings. I was asking for the creation of an adult atmosphere, with no beards, whistling, nor gaudy waistcoats! I think this request came from Dr Cooke. However, he had to suffer the new Regius who whistled Mozart’s clarinet concerto whenever he walked down the quarter of a mile corridor. We did say the bedside manner we were learning did not have to feature outside the hospital, or even in its corridor (along which I once rode my Lambretta).

As is often the case with such small numbers, the problem was how to find the numbers for the next Rugby match or for the Tynchewyke pantomime. We wanted larger intakes and blamed the small intake on the reputation of the hospital in Oxford Colleges. I was in four pantomimes and as women were not allowed to be members of the Tynchwyke Society in those days, I played several transgender roles and for the fourth, at the piano, I was the orchestra. In 1956 I wrote ‘Handsome and Dettol’. The new Regius Professor George Pickering, the first with research beds, was my villain. I lost control of the routine rag, we all got fined £20 by the Regius, and one of us got rusticated! The fine was secretly paid by our supporting surgeon Mr Ted Maloney. A year later I did get the Regius’ house job!

Legend ‘1953 Oxford Clinical School Intake’ except Terence Ryan who is taking the photo

Ed: We found a photo of young Terence Ryan amongst the Physiology School Finalists 1954. Left Terence Ryan, and noted incidentally on right is a young John Ledingham