Medical University of South Carolina

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) opened in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824 as a small private college for the training of physicians. It is one of the oldest continually operating schools of medicine in the United States and the oldest in the Deep South. The school's main building was designed by Charleston architect Albert W. Todd.

The school has expanded into a state university with a medical center and six colleges for the education of health professionals, biomedical scientists and other health care personnel. It also operates as a center for research and has a public hospital.

Colleges

College of Medicine

History

The College of Medicine began in 1823 with the incorporation of the Medical College of South Carolina, a private institution of the Medical Society of South Carolina. Seven Charleston physicians formed the initial faculty with 30 students enrolled in 1824. The first graduation was on April 4, 1825. With the exception of the American Civil War, the college has served continuously to the present, even when there was a total enrollment of two students. At the time of Dr. Robert Wilson’s appointment as Dean of the College of Medicine in 1908, Abraham Flexner was beginning his survey of the Medical College. Flexner’s survey resulted in the report titled Medical Education in the United States and Canada. It was highly critical of the Medical College and its poor facilities, lack of full-time faculty, lack of equipment, and lack of money. Recognizing that the college did not meet national requirements, Dr. Wilson determined that the only way to save the college from closure was to transfer it to state ownership in order to have access to state appropriations. The state took over formal control of the college in 1913.

Pro Street

Pro Street is a style of street-legal custom car popular in the 1980s, usually built to imitate a Pro-street class race car. Pro Street cars should appear to be more at home on the drag strip than the street, while remaining street legal and not gutted like a Race Car or Bracket Race car. Typically called a Backhalf car (tubbed).

Cars of this type always feature two of the following three modifications:

Cars of this type should remain modified from the firewall back but keeping Stock floorpans, a full interior with windshield wipers, carpet and working lights.

See also

Motorcycle drag racing

Motorcycle drag racing (also known as "Sprints") involves two participants lining up at a dragstrip with a signaled starting line. Upon the starting signal, the riders accelerate down a ¹⁄₄ mile (0.40 km) long, two lane, straight paved track where their elapsed time and terminal speed are recorded. The rider to reach the finish line first is the winner. The best-known form of motorcycle drag racing is the Pro Stock Bike category, although several other categories exist, including 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) nitromethane engine.

Motorcycles in the Top Fuel category are fueled by nitro methane and can make nearly 1,500 horsepower. From a standing start they can cover the first 60 feet in less than a second and can reach 200 mph in less than eighth-mile or 660 feet. The current world record is held by Peter Svensson of Sweden who covered the quarter-mile in 5.709 seconds on August 24, 2012 at his home track of Tierp Arena.

The North American record is held by Top Fuel Veteran Larry "Spiderman" McBride at 5.74, recorded at South Georgia Motorsports Park in November 2008.

Drag racing

Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles (usually specially prepared for the purpose) compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most commonly ¼ mile (1,320 ft (402 m)), with a shorter 3/16 mile 10 feet (1,000 ft (305 m)) used by nitromethane powered Top Fuel dragsters and funny cars along with some bracket races, while 660 ft (201 m) (1/8 mi) is also popular in some circles. Electronic timing and speed sensing systems have been used to record race results since the 1960s.

Drag racing has existed in both street racing and regulated motorsport forms since automobiles and motorcycles were developed. The street racing form, which is usually illegal, is covered elsewhere; this article covers the legal sport.

Basics of drag racing

Before each race (commonly known as a pass), each driver is allowed to perform a burnout, which heats the driving tires and lays rubber down at the beginning of the track, improving traction. Each driver then lines up (or stages) at the starting line.