Medical school marks 100th class

History highlights show changes in med school

The journey that transforms anxious and eager minds into compassionate, healing professionals began Aug. 6 for the 175 new KU medical students who form the 100th class of the KU School of Medicine.

Times have changed. Admissions, curriculum and technology have changed. But some things remain the same today as they did 100 years ago.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Kansas City, Kan., the Kansas City Medical College and the Medico-Chirurgical College merged in 1905 to form the KU School of Medicine. Of the original 96 students, all were white and only a handful were women. Fifty-six graduated one year later because they had met all requirements.

Students needed a high school education and “good moral character” to apply the first year.

“Today, students who are admitted meet high academic standards and have real-world experience in a medical setting,” said Mark Meyer, associate dean for student affairs at the School of Medicine. “Only one in seven applicants was accepted to our program this year.”

The first students began their medical education in the anatomy lab.

Dissecting a human body helped students change their thinking about life by seeing death up close.

Freshmen often smelled “unusual” because of the preservative, formalin, and were sometimes ostracized in their living communities.
“Indeed, we were unpopular everywhere, for we left a trail of formalin behind us,” according to a student quoted in the 1905 Jayhawker yearbook.

When big-city attractions began luring Kansas’ doctors away from rural America, the School of Medicine encouraged students to return to their rural roots through two programs. Fourth-year medical students completed a rotation in rural Kansas through the Rural Preceptor Program, a tradition that continues today. In addition, the Kansas Legislature now finances 30 full scholarships each year through the Medical Student Loan Program. In return for tuition, students agree to work in a rural medical practice for four years after graduation.

In the 1970s, a second campus was opened in Wichita, where approximately 60 third- and fourth-year medical students go for their last two years of training.

Despite the changes, the KU Medical School has remained true to its vision and mission “to enhance the quality of life and serve our community through the discovery of knowledge, the education of health professionals and improving the health of the public.”