Chapter 01: Attempt to Join the Navy Leads to Medical School

Chapter 01: Attempt to Join the Navy Leads to Medical School

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Education: Dr. Knudson discusses his switch from physics to genetics in his second year at the California Institute of Technology. He humorously notes that he made the change because "they already knew everything" in the field of physics. He mentions that Thomas Hunt Morgan, a pioneer in genetic research, was the head of the Biology department at Cal Tech at the time.

Military Experience: Dr. Knudson then explains that at the start of World War II, Cal Tech encouraged its students to join the military, so he enlisted in the navy. However, a person in the navy encouraged Dr. Knudson to go to medical school instead because they "didn't need PhDs in the military." He took their advice and went to Columbia Medical School. Dr. Knudson says that he enjoyed the first two years more than the second because they were based on problem solving rather than memorization.

Mentoring: In the last moments of the chapter, Dr. Knudson provides some advice to young people on how to approach unexpected events in life.

Identifier

KnudsonA_01_20130305_C01

Publication Date

3-5-2013

Publisher

The Making Cancer History® Voices Oral History Collection, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

City

Houston, Texas

Topics Covered

Influences from People and Life Experiences; Military Experience; Inspirations to Practice Science/Medicine; The Mentor; Character, Values, Beliefs, Talents

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Disciplines

History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Oncology | Oral History

Conditions Governing Access

Open

Chapter 01: Attempt to Join the Navy Leads to Medical School

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