Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1960)
MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Or. Monday, Jan. 25, 1960 A ' , s " ; "A 1 j- -J ft . t ' . v- 7:7 v7'V . TV;-'- U- . 7J- -A "7. . . A. 4 1 fl Sri tv r r r r . , . t ) -1--: .0 O . X-I;.iO-C::l4; v O O. U Q "... . O .w. 7 0 O Mi O 0 ?oboo oco ooo ooxco o o crpcoo oa(6 ooo 6 o&ooo - 4 I v , a rooooooXoooooo"oa v . . - v .- 9'-' 1 j ' . , . v, . mm --m -j s&mmmm. - ? - 1 Roads Threat to Drivers of New, Lower Vehicles Washington, (Science Serv ice) Many roads and high ways traveled today by driv ers of fashionable low-slung cars pose a safety threat in the form of reduced visibility. Today the average driver's eyes are less than four feet above the pavement, Clyde E. Lee, assistant professor of civil engineering at the Uni versity of Texas, told the highway research board meeting here. But many well-traveled roads have been designated by highway experts using the 4.5 feet previously recom mended as the average height of the driver's eyes above the pavement. Drivers Plagued As a result, drivers of smaller, lower cars are plagued by restricted visibil ity at times. Their horizontal sight distance is restricted at many locations, for instance, by stationary objects such as guard rails, wing walls and parked vehicles, he said. The threat to motorist safe ty can be corrected through minor changes in road design the designer recognizes that drivers' eyes are not as high as they used to be, Lee said. Suggestions Made K. A. Stonex, assistant di rector of General Motors proving grounds, Milford, Mich., suggested that guard rails be eliminated where possible to improve new high way safety. Next to skidding, he said, side slopes prove to be the big factor in a car's rolling over if it leaves the highway. To improve safety, he suggested the slopes be gentle, smooth and clear of obstacles, and be built of firm material. - To cut down chances for bad skids, fine bituminous mixtures can be given a sand additive. Profs. Jack E. Ste phens of the University of Connecticut and William H. Goetz of Purdue university reported that mixtures made with sand having rounded particles gave the best over all anti-skid performances. Mixtures made with sand having particles with sharp points at first gave higher skid resistance, but these sharp edges soon wore off. Doctor Worries About Lack of Medical Students New York -(Science Service)- Fewer students applying to the nation's medical schools and the lower grades of those that do apply can mean dis aster for U. S. medicine. If something is not done about the shortage of top- grade candidates for medical schools, "medicine will deter iorate and we will fail miser ably to provide the physi cians" the U.S. needs, said Dr. Robert A. Moore, presi dent of the State University of New York Downstate Med ical center. He told scientists attending the annual William Henry Welch lecture at Mt. Sinai hospital here that the percent age of college graduates ap plying to medical schools has Jeclined from 11 per cent in 1928 to about 4 per cent to day. At the same time medi cal schools have increased their enrollment by 1,671. To day 18 per cent of the appli cants have "A" averages com pared with 40 per cent 10 years ago. Reasons Listed There are several possible reasons for medicine's inabil ity to attract more of the best graduates, Dr. Moore said. These include: long prepara tion time; high education costs; limited scholarship funds; inflexible program, and the general public's miscon ception that it is difficult to be admitted to a medical school. Dr. Moore urged that this serious challenge to medical education be analyzed as a "scientific research problem." Active recruitment and a shortening of the total period of preparation to become a doctor were two remedies he suggested. Pettey Attends Meeting in Eugene Ashland - Raymond E. Pet tey, regional representative of the state system of higher education's general extension division, Friday attended the monthly meeting of the di vision's staff members in Eu gene. Slated for discussion at the meeting, were plans for as signing instructors for spring term evening classes, bud getary problems and the di vision's activities during the current winter term.
