Clifton Meador, storyteller extraordinaire, recalls the life we both lived as medical students, now fifty years in the past, "at different schools but together." The characters we encountered differed, but only in the particulars. Though we met each other only many years later as fellow faculty members, it was clear to me that the sheer exuberance of the era of great discovery in biological science; the excitement and spontaneous mischief counterbalancing the drudgery of the medical-education experience; and the peculiarities and the excellences of our peers and especially of our mentors were truly shared experiences.

With wit and imagination, Cliff Meador has captured the rigors of medical school, the camaraderie between classmates, and the special relationship of students and faculty at Vanderbilt Medical School during the fifties.

A medical education provides both inspiration and perspiration experiences. Dr. Meador cites examples of such matters in a lively and humorous manner with accuracy and spirit. There are other books and articles about the experience of medical school; however, this treatise is most unique among such examples in that the experiences are viewed through his eyes, ears, and participation of real events. The chronicle he has presented is an all-together riveting account of happenings as a student of medicine in a particular medical school in a particular time.

This book is released at a time in the history of medicine when our society’s litigation and technology are forcing physicians to become shrewd business men and women rather than wise physicians free to love, fully appreciate and care for their patients as Clifton Meador has done throughout his career. For those of us who treasure our medical school memories, Med School sends us on an exciting trip. For those just entering the world of medicine, it provides motivation and invaluable guidelines.

"Med School" is a fascinating look at medical school life in the 50's and clearly shows us how far medicine has come in the last 50 years. The history, the people and the wonderful writing style hooked me right away and never let me go until the very end...and I still wanted more. Great read for anyone interested in medicine and it's history."

Medical school is a time of intense education and personal growth. Becoming a physician demands that one incorporate not only “book knowledge” but also that the student understand, appreciate, and incorporate the language and culture of medicine. Dr. Clifton Meador has described his four years at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in the 1950s in a way that will be enjoyable to physicians and non-physicians alike. Those who were medical students, regardless of where they trained, and, in fact, students of all kinds will see themselves, their friends, and their faculty on these pages. And, they will laugh and laugh, and learn and learn.

I started attending Vanderbilt Medical School in 1948. My memory of those days is hours of studying and multiple labs. Dr. Meador’s book recalls the joy of learning, and the thrill of making an accurate diagnosis by history alone. His recall of his classmates and teachers is superb! His genius of doing these many things makes this a book for all time.

"Med School" is a wonderful book. It made me smile; it made me laugh; and sometimes it brought a tear to my eyes. Most of all, it reminded me of my own medical school education-the students I worked and lived with; the professors who inspired and frustrated me; and most of all, the patients who look to us for an understanding ear and a helping hand. Bravo!

A wonderful collection of vignettes from the author’s experience as a medical student, laden with descriptions of faculty idiosyncrasies, humor, student escapades and cogent observations on medical practice and its practitioners.

Dr, Meador’s account of medical school in the early fifties transcends place and captures a time when science had just begun to transform the practice of medicine. Attention to what the patient said was the sharpest tool in the physician’s armamentarium. The process of shaping the medical doctor is told in a series of often amusing and frequently insightful stories by a naturally endowed story teller. This collection will leave the reader with an appreciation for medicine without the hype (and expense) of modern day technology and pharmacy.