Good Morning and welcome to Harvard Medical School.

On behalf of my colleagues in the Dean's office and from the other deans who work with me to manage the school...we are delighted you're here! I also want to welcome those of you entering the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

My comments today are going to be brief. As members of the class of 2009, you represent a distillation of the hopes and aspirations of a substantial number of Americans.

More than 5,500 students aspired to enter Harvard Medical School this fall, resulting in a class numbering 165. Your acceptance here acknowledges more than excellent grades and high MCAT scores. Each of you is predicted, on the basis of other achievements in life, to have a special spark of creativity or broad interest that we hope will make you the leaders of tomorrow, whether in the art or the science of medicine.

I want to share a few statistics about your class that may interest you: 52 percent are women, 48 percent men. By ethnicity, 33 percent are Asian American, 12 percent African American, 9 percent Hispanic, and one percent Native American.

Your group includes representatives of 62 undergraduate institutions, 33 states (plus Puerto Rico), and seven foreign countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Ten members of the incoming class are MD/PHD students (9 in HST, one in New Pathway). This year we also have our first student in the new MD/PhD in Social Science Program, and three students have been accepted into the joint MD/MBA Program.

Although you will not be qualified as medical doctors for at least four years, you are already professionals; later today you will receive your white coats -- a symbol of the trust and unique relationship that a physician enjoys with his or her patients.

Let me reflect in a somewhat serious way on some of the attributes on becoming a doctor.

What does it mean to be a Doctor of Medicine?

Lewis Thomas -- who was himself a medical school dean as well as a prizewinning author -- reflects on the origins of some of the words that will become central to your lives as you embark on your careers. The evolution of these words can be traced back to the ancient Indo-European language that was the ancestor of many of our modern languages, and they have some hidden lessons for your profession.

Let's look at three words that will come to mean much to you: Doctor, Medicine, and Physician.

The word doctor came from dek, meaning something proper and acceptable, useful. It became docere in Latin, to teach, also discere, to learn, hence "disciple." In Greek it was understood to mean an acceptable kind of teaching, thus dogma and orthodox. "Decorum" and "decency" are derivative words.

Medicine itself emerged from the root med, which meant something like measuring out, or taking appropriate measures. Latin used med to make mederi, to look after, to heal. The English words "moderate" and "modest" are also descendants of med, carrying instructions for medicine long since forgotten; medical students ought from time to time to meditate (another cognate) on these etymological cousins.

Physician came from a wonderful word, one of the master roots in the old language, bheu, meaning nature itself, being, existence. Phusis was made from this root in Greek, on its way to becoming two English words: "physic," used for medicine in general, and "physics," meaning the study of nature. The first chair at Harvard Medical School was established shortly after its founding in 1782 as the Hersey Professorship in Physic.

Doctor, medicine, and physician, taken together with derivative words that grew up around them, tell us a great deal about society's ancient expectations for the profession -- hard to live up to!

I want to comment briefly on the scope of medical education -- on the science and the art of medicine. I doubt there is even one among you who does not believe firmly in the scientific basis of medical practice.

In physiology we learn how the body's complex systems interact with each other. In pharmacology we learn the molecular structure of receptors, and marvel at how hormones and drugs have been developed to correct insulin deficiency, to treat growth failure, or to lower blood pressure.

Science is the basis of discovery of the practical knowledge that guides our practice of medicine. Such practice is based on hypothesis-driven research. In the clinical setting, it is employed in clinical trials, where efforts are made to exclude bias and eliminate placebo effects.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study is the linchpin of our practice. And we all believe, I would venture, that science will be the vehicle for discovery of the cures for the major diseases that afflict humankind -- cancer, Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, ulcerative colitis.

During your lifetime, unimaginable things are going to occur. Unbelievable discoveries will be made. You are among the brightest minds entering the medical profession today. And so I hope that a goodly percentage of you will feel a calling to a life in science, combined with the joys and blessings of clinical practice, and the delights of teaching.

But in addition to the science of medicine, I want also to emphasize the other side of medicine, the art of medicine, and the art of communication in medicine, which must be brought into view in order to become a complete physician. We are here as your teachers, mentors, and guardians to make your dream come true and to provide whatever you need to prepare for a lifetime of service to humankind.

Thank you.