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BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY
ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES, INC.
Upton, New York 11973
Medical Department
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Ow ve 3577
AOLMY
17 August 1979
AllenW. Mathies, M.D.
Dean, University of
Southern California Medical School
2025 Zonal Avenue
Los Angeles,
CA 90033
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BEST COPY AVAILABLE |
Dear Dr. Mathies,
XY must apologize for not responding more promptly to our very
productive meeting on 25 July.
.
Your understanding and enthusiasm for the problems of field medicine
were greatly appreciated. Relatively few physicians have a realistic
perspective on the practice of medicine in such areas.
It's a real
challenge, but very rewarding.
Both Susan and I have really been turned:
on to see these people moving from the 18th century to 20th century
medicine.
.
One of the older Robert Wood Johnson programs (called the “Clinical
Scholar" program) really intrigued me. Did Southern California work with
that program? As you know the graduates had advanced training in
sociology, economics, anthropology, systems analysis, health care planning,
etc., in addition to their basic medical education.
I think it really ©
takes that type of Renaissance physician to deal effectively with. medicine
emerging in a third world nation. We find that we must constantly place
ourselves in context with their indigenous medicine and work with it.
Folk medicine still exists in the Marshalls, but it is very @ifficult to
identify, particularly after 30 years of occupation and the credibility
gap that has been generated by the accident in 1954.
During the last
year, by bringing more Marshallese into the program, in responsible
positions, the culture has begun to open up to us.
The whole social
setting of medical care delivery is changing as we work together with
traditional medicine.
L appreciate your offer to join one of the surveys (schedule permitting) and would Like to give you the dates for the coming year:
!