Legacy of Excellence Digital Flipbook

LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE

CENTENNIAL ODE ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY–HEAD AND NECK SURGERY

Francis I. Catlin, MD 6 February 1996©

Little did they think, in 1896, upon the day When heirs to that primal organizing class Would meet, a century later, to assay Those ancient dreams, devolving from the past. Then first-rate education was the goal Of A.A.O.O new-found academe; And praises for achievement skyward roll As we perceive the wisdom of their scheme. To foster teaching, research, patient care For all who suffer from diseases dread, Through academic forums which would bear On special senses and the neck and head.

Led to more expensive forms of care And research, too, —the needed health finances Were governed by gatekeepers’ wear and tear. These trends produced advisors, the American Council Of Otolaryngology. For a fourteen-year span, These sages gave both local and national counsel To support and improve our specialties’ service plan. In ’82, the Council and Academy wed For to fulfill the ancient hymn whose sapient verses said: “New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth; They must upwards still and onwards, who would keep abreast of truth.”* With too many members to meet in a smaller space. Ophthalmology moved where Frisco breezes nourished;

Continuing education was the theme Of academic meetings. In this way,

Lectures, courses, seminars formed the team By which our knowledge is e’en shared today. When war clouds cast their shadows on our shores Academicians rose to meet the need, And through the first and second great world wars, Our specialists served their country well indeed. Then science exploded with a pharmacological revolution; Our affluence created the National Institutes of Health; The physician was hailed as the biomedical solution For health care programs based on post-war wealth. But, as technology advances

The rest to Alexandria were emplaced. So what was the result, a century later? An Academy with dual goals in mind: Advice and wisdom for the legislator, And education for the specialist’s mind. Then let us raise a toast to those

Whose lives have made our Academy great: The students, workers, teachers, and the CEOs, And Executive Vice Presidents, both current and late!

*Excerpt by: James Russell Lowell, 1819-1891

The Academy Hymn and Centennial Ode were composed in 1996 by Francis I. Catlin, MD, a longtime member of the Academy. He contributed these pieces in honor of Academy’s centennial. Dr. Catlin had an enduring interest in medical history and a lifelong penchant for musical composition and poetry.

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