A recent reference question asked if it was possible to track down the ten tips Dr. William Albert Sullivan, former Associate Dean of the Med School used to give incoming students. My original answer was a hesitant maybe.

Dr. “Sully” Sullivan was Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs from 1968 until his death in 1990. Originally from Nashville, TN, Dr. Sullivan came to the U of M in 1947 as a resident under Dr. Owen Wangensteen. Dr. Sullivan is probably most well-known for his personal interviews with each Medical School applicant. Dr. Sullivan had the ability to separate the self-assured from the self-absorbed. He was a strong believer in a well-rounded education that gave physicians the ability to relate to their patients on a personal level.

I could find little archival material related to Dr. Sullivan, let alone his 10 rules. I paged through a clippings file with various articles on his service to the Medical School and a few obituaries. It became evident that Dr. Sullivan may have never recorded his advice for medical students.

And then I found it.

In the August 1990 issue of The Cutting Edge, the Department of Surgery’s newsletter, there was a reprint of Dr. Henry Blackburn’s eulogy for Dr. Sullivan. At the end of his prepared remarks, Dr. Blackburn noted that “in keeping with Sullivan’s own fabled love of language and zest for communication, it is fitting to allow him the last word.”

And, here they are for you. Dr. Albert Sullivan’s 10 rules for new med students (and 5 absolute truths for the rest of us):

1. If money is the only thing that leads you into medicine, you might as well give up now.

2. If you want to be in charge all the time, then start your own business where you can call the shots.

3. Medicine is fun, and in contrast to many other professions or skills, people rarely leave it.

4. Any physician who stops learning after medical school is doomed to mediocrity, to poor medicine.

5. The human component of your existence that says you are just as selfish and egocentric as all the rest of those persons who have gone into medicine will keep you going and lead you to that position where you do indeed heal the sick, comfort the afflicted, and have one hell of a magnificent time doing so.

6. You must continue to utilize [your] other interests while in medical school, whatever they may be – athletics, music, painting, etc. If you don’t you’ll be perfectly miserable, and you’ll make a lousy physician.

7. There will be many times when situations arise in which you will need assistance. You are equipped to handle these crises if you take advantage of the resources common to all Medical Students: your own good brains, the support of friends and family, and our Office of Student Affairs.

8. Medicine is not a science or an art. Things are not black or white, but rather shades of gray. The make of really mature medical students is that they can tolerate the ambiguities and uncertainties, as well as the discrepancies of different teachers, knowing that each represents the truth as he or she sees it.

9. As a group you have a high degree of social orientation and desire to be helpful to the patients you will treat. However, it does no good whatsoever to sympathize completely with patients if you don’t know what is happening at their cellular level or if you don’t know what organism is causing their infection.

10. Don’t ever get so over involved with the technical aspects that you forget about the humanness of the people you are treating. This sensitivity and feeling must be combined with your scientific competence in order for you to become a competent and thoughtful physician.

Five fundamental and absolute truths:

1. E=MC2
2. There is no cure for the common cold.
3. There are more horse’s asses in the world than there are horses.
4. Excrement always flows downward.
5. If you’re treed by a bear, enjoy the view.

The origin of today’s Medical School at the University of Minnesota dates back to the formation of the University in 1851. The territorial act establishing the University provided for a Department of Medicine, however, it was not created until 1882.

The Department of Medicine was not a teaching department but rather a credentialing board that provided examinations and conferred MDs upon physicians who had learned to practice medicine by studying with a preceptor.

In April 1887, Percy Millard, Charles Hewitt, D. Hand, and President Cyrus Northrop presented to the Board of Regents their request to abolish the Department of Medicine and replace it with a new department that would consist of the College of Medicine and Surgery, the College of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery, and the College of Dentistry. The Regents approved of the reorganization of the Department of Medicine in February 1888. The first class began in October 1888.

As part of the approval process, the Regents specified the admission requirements for the Department of Medicine. Students were evaluated by

1. Writing legibly and correctly an English composition of not less than two hundred words.

2. Translation of easy Latin prose, or, in lieu thereof, by passing an approved examination in any one of the following subjects: French, German, or one of the Scandinavian languages.

3. Passing an examination upon either of the elements of Algebra, Plane Geometry, or Botany.

4. Showing such a knowledge of Physics as may be obtained from the study of Balfour Stewart’s Elements of Physics.

However, examinations were not required for matriculated students or graduates of any reputable college, high school, or normal school, nor of persons holding a first-class teacher’s certificate or certificate of the State High School Board.

By contrast, today’s admission requirements are a little more demanding.

Select the image above to see the full page from the April 26, 1888 minutes.

Many people who are seeking treatment and advice in the health care system want to be a part of the strategy that maintains their state of wellness. Often, that involvement leads both patients and physicians to apply holistic approaches, complementary therapies, and alternative medicines. At the University of Minnesota, the Center for Spirituality and Healing is partnered with the Life Science Foundation to provide accurate information and empower the individual to make these choices regarding their health.

The University of Minnesota has a long tradition of approaching medicine from multiple vantage points. In 1888, the University established the College of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery within the Department of Medicine. The new College of Homeopathic Medicine had been in fact the former prestigious Minnesota Homeopathic Medical College. The Medical College transferred its charter to the University in order to avoid competing with the newly formed Department of Medicine as well as to gain more prominence by being associated with the University. The measure also gained additional support for the University from the public who increasingly viewed homeopathic medicine as a preferred option to orthodox treatment methods.

By the turn of the century, the College had grown to fifteen faculty members. However, over the next decade student numbers declined. In 1909 the College of Homeopathic Medicine merged with the College of Medicine and Surgery and by 1911, the Board of Regents removed the final two chairs associated with homeopathic studies within the College of Medicine and Surgery and ceased offering a separate diploma.