THE PREVIOUS SYMPOSIUM particularly the last report, set the stage for a smooth entry into the subject of this symposium. During a meeting of the Education Committee of the American Pediatric Society, the meeting to which Dr. Gordon referred, it was obvious from the discussions that there have been some sweeping changes in pediatrics and pediatric education since the end of the Second World War. The committee did not believe that contemporary pediatric education, in either the graduate or the undergraduate phase, had had sufficient exploration in depth, concerning content, form, or relevance to health needs of the public. The committee therefore agreed that undergraduate education should be given the highest priority for our attention.
One of the reasons for this priority is that the undergraduates are a different breed today. They are activists; they are experts in mathematics and physics, among other things; they have lived in an affluent