One young man’s work was so skillful, far more than that of the others. Some of the men were tough, and they overdissected until the work looked gnawed. Some forgot to keep the cadaver moist and the muscle got like leftover turkey. This student was quiet, and had been nicknamed "the undertaker" because his work was so polished and because he took such interest in his cadaver. Actually, he wasn’t even in medical school but was a graduate student in physiology and was fulfilling his course requirement in anatomy. He said he didn’t know if he wanted to be involved with people or to work with life and death decisions. I thought these answers were rationalizations for other uncertainties. I felt that he did not have the kind of cheering section at home that might have made him feel that the "world was his oyster". I told Dr. Grant the student was hesitating about applying to medical school. Late Saturday afternoon, Dr. Grant asked him about it and David said he did not know if he was "good enough." "Doesn’t everyone want to go to medical school?" That Monday morning, the young man told me he had put in his application. I think Dr. Grant and I were acting as his professional parents. I takes a great deal of caring, of people vouching for the young person, for one to have the confidence to enter medicine.

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