The first year was a science year. Pharmacy studies were to start in earnest only in the following year. So what was on the menu during that year? There were 4 topics; in turn each one included a number of subsidiary subjects.

Chemistry encompassed physical, organic, and inorganic chemistry (with a different professor for each one).

The lab. work was related to inorganic chemistry. At the beginning you tested simple compounds, and then mixtures of (two) salts. The exam tested you mainly on mixtures. Each lab. bench had different experiments.

Physics included heat, optics, and electricity & magnetism (again with a different professor for each one). Halfway through the year, the “heat” professor informed us that a new subject has been added, property of matter (known today as particle physics). It would be his responsibility to teach it. The news – according to that professor – was not all bad. There would be no lab. work. The course itself was basic and would be a very small part of the exam, if that. He concluded by saying that in this day and age it was unthinkable to teach physics and leave out the topic of property of matter.

If the theoretical part of physics was nerve-wracking, the practical side was a real nightmare. I saw prisms, lenses, pendulums, magnets, compasses, voltmeters, ammeters, potentiometers, calorimeters, thermometers, and on and on. An experiment was conducted once; if you were sick on that day, or needed to repeat an experiment, the lab people generally accommodated you. The exam could be on anything, and again, each bench had its own experiment.

Botany had its own branches (no pun intended): Anatomy (cells and tissues); morphology (outward appearance); physiology (functions of the organism); and taxonomy (classification).

The lab. work included microscopic examination of cells, and botanical microorganisms (example algae); identifying different plants from their appearances (shape of leaves, etc.); functions by conducting experiments over time; and identifying the families of various plants from their flowers. Here, the whole campus was your lab.: You bend down, picked a flower, and tried to determine its family. The Leguminosae (the largest family) predominated.

The exam focused on identifying slides; preparing your own slides; identifying plants from their outward appearances; and specifying the families of the flowers you were provided with.

We were told that Zoology was the easiest subject. In relative terms, it was; but nobody in his right mind would consider it as easy. It included (for certain animals and insects): Anatomy; comparative anatomy (structure of various animals); histology (tissues); physiology; and taxonomically- oriented disciplines (related to mammals, birds, etc. In effect how they differ from each other).

The lab. work consisted of identifying the type of cells on slides; preparing your own slides; and performing a proper dissection.

The Exam was on slides and dissection. Dissection differed from bench to bench. You may be required to dissect, say, a frog, and indicate based on the exam question specific organs. A “clean” dissection earned you high marks. A frog was “ideal” since you did a lot of that during the year. However, there were less desirable specimens (no examples will be provided!) Ultimately, it was a question of luck.

Site Search Tags:
none