Tosteson says that some faculty were concerned that the series would not be able to portray the curriculum accurately. He says he supported the project, and was fairly pleased with the first show.

"I thought that in many ways it was a very constructive evocation of what happened. It captured very well the enthusiasm and energy and intelligence of our students," Tosteson says.

His only complaint, he says, is that "I thought it missed completely the excitement and the importance of discoveries in modern science for medical education," an essential part of the New Pathway. Tosteson says he hopes future episodes will capture this aspect more successfully.

After getting the go-achead from the Medical School to begin filming, Barnes and his crew were still not free from the scrutiny of the Harvard administration. The faculty set up a three-person committee to act as a liaison between the producers and the Medical School.

Dean for Students and Alumni Daniel D. Federman '49, who sits on the committee, says they have had to prohibit filming in a couple of cases, such as when the students were taking an exam, and when they arrived the first day, before they were informed about the show.

But overall, Federman says the committee members were pleased with the project once they got to know the producers.

"On the whole, I would say [the first show] was pretty good," he says.

Federman says the difficulty lies in the fact that the New Pathway does not lend itself to this kind of documentary, and that following only seven students does not convey the best picture of the class's diversity.

Future Episodes

The third episode in the series will follow the students through their first year of residency, which they will begin this summer. The show will examine how they deal with the enormous responsibilities now thrust upon them.

"It may well be the worst year of their medical education, as well as their lives," Frumkin says.

The final show, which will take place a full 10 years after the first, will see how and what the students do after their residency, such as setting up a private practice.

"I like the idea of seeing people change over time," Barnes says.