“We Treated Patients With Elite Nursing Care”: 106-Year-Old Alum Recalls Training She Received at Beth Israel School of Nursing

Belle Herman Weiss, retired nurse and oldest-known alum of Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing (formerly Beth Israel School of Nursing)

At 106 years old, Belle Herman Weiss, RN, is thought to be the oldest living alum from the Beth Israel School of Nursing, now the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing (founded in 1902), and one of the oldest living nurses in New York. Belle, who retired years ago and lives in Westchester County, fondly recalls her time in nursing school, which she began at just 16 years old—during a time when harmful diseases were widespread and difficult to treat.

“I enjoyed all the experiences I had to go through in nursing school,” says Belle, who graduated in 1936. “I loved being with a lot of other young women and having a goal to achieve.”

A good student who loved studying medicine, Belle was fascinated with figuring out patients’ diagnoses, which she compares to being a detective solving medical mysteries. “My favorite subjects were anatomy and physiology. I had a good memory and I was able to remember all the bones and their function. I enjoyed being able to recite the different parts of the body and what they did,” she says.

However, the lack of penicillin and treatments for infectious diseases in the 1930s and 1940s made nursing a challenging—and potentially dangerous—career path. She remembers contracting a skin lesion from tuberculosis at a hospital she worked in, noting she was “very lucky” it did not spread to her chest.

“It was a very difficult time, and [we were] studying at a bad time,” says Belle of being a nursing student. But she says many nurses managed to avoid infections by donning the cloth masks, rubber gloves, and gowns available at the time, and especially, routinely washing their hands. “Luckily, most of us stayed pretty healthy,” she says.

After graduating from the Beth Israel School of Nursing, Belle received a public health degree from New York University, which she says aided her when she later worked for The Willard Parker Hospital in Manhattan, where many patients had polio and were cared for in iron lungs (large horizontal machines that patients would lie in, which stimulated breathing). Medical technology in those days, she explains, was far more rudimentary and cumbersome to work with. For example, intravenous (IV) therapy—a routine therapy administered by nurses today using prepackaged components and fluids—was rarely ordered in the 1930s and 1940s. When it was, nurses had to prepare all the separate components—a glass bottle of saline, a separate rubber stopper and tubing, and a metal needle—and it was quite a process.

How were IVs given in the 1940s and 1950s? 106-year-old nurse Belle Herman Weiss explains:

First you got the IV pole. Then you went into the utility room and you got a sterilized package that contained the container that you were going to put the saline in. Then you got the connection of tubing, and then you got the needle that went with it. Then you got the saline that you had to pour into it. You had to get this glass container connected to the rubber tubing and put a stopper on the tubing so it wouldn’t leak out. Then you filled the container with the saline from a big bottle and hung it on the pole. Then you let the air run out, and then you connected the needle. Before you called a physician to get them to put the IV in, you had to wrap two hot water bottles around the container to warm the fluid to room temperature. That’s how an IV was given.

She says hospitals also lacked antibiotics. In their absence, she says doctors would order “bodily irrigations”—treatments that involved washing out the nose, eyes, ears, throat, and other orifices, in the hope it would wash away disease.

“We used to have a saying, ‘If in doubt, wash it out,’” Belle says, adding that nurses also kept patients healthy by routinely bathing them “head to toe.”

After retiring from nursing at age 70, Belle worked in a doctor’s office as an administrator until she was 92. She put her nursing degree and training to good use over her long career—working at hospitals throughout New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, as well as on an ambulance, where she helped transport patients with communicable diseases. She says she enjoyed taking care of people, and particularly loved her pediatric patients. One little girl who died from kidney disease stands out to her the most.

“I can still picture her sometimes, walking around her little crib, and reaching out her arms for me to pick her up,” she says. “Those memories stick with me.”

While Belle enjoyed a storied nursing career—in addition to getting married in 1943 and having three children, including a daughter who is an advanced practice nurse in Westchester County—the two-and-a-half years she spent training at the Beth Israel School of Nursing are still fresh in her memory. She remembers the intensive 12-hour work schedules, and still recalls the names of many fellow students and head nurses she trained with. The nursing program was very disciplined, she says, and helped her acquire valuable experience for her nursing career.

“I did get a very good training,” remembers Belle of the Beth Israel School of Nursing.  “We treated the patients with elite nursing care.”

A Historic Commencement to Remember

Members of the pioneer classes of Mount Sinai medical school attending the 54th Commencement.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai celebrated its 54th graduating class on Thursday, May 11. A total of 172 degrees were conferred that day, ushering in a new generation of clinicians and researchers. However, the Commencement ceremony also celebrated another historic milestone:

“In attendance today are distinguished alumni who have had long and highly productive careers,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. “They are members of our first few graduating classes, from 1970, ’71, ’72, and my class, 1973. Together, they are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their graduation.”

One distinguished alumni who joined the Icahn Mount Sinai faculty on stage was Jeffery Flier, MD, Class of 1972, who had helped organize events celebrating this milestone. Events in the week leading up to Commencement included the 2023 Alumni Reunion Awards Ceremony Dinner at the New York Academy of Medicine, and a 50th milestone anniversary podcast, which interviewed members of the pioneer class.

“I would frequently tell people, ‘Don’t overthink what your career is going to be,’” Dr. Flier said in the podcast. As advice to recent graduates and future medical students, Dr. Flier noted that many people have many different careers during the course of their medical life, and one can’t predict what their opportunities are going to be. “Look for what you think will give you the greatest pleasure and opportunity that’s facing you right now,” he said.

Throughout the careers of these alumni, they have pushed the frontiers of medicine and science. Hover to read about where some of these outstanding individuals are today:

Ernst Schaefer, MD, class of 1972

Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Boston Heart Diagnostics.

Arthur Frank, MD, PhD, class of 1972

Professor of Public Health and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel University’s School of Public Health, Philadelphia.

Jeffrey Flier, MD, class of 1972

Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University.

Naomi Luban, MD, class of 1972

Chair of the Institutional Review Board in the Office of Human Subjects Protection at Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D.C.

Curious how Icahn Mount Sinai has evolved over the years? From its first class to the present, the medical school has pushed itself to higher heights, reinventing itself many times over. Here’s a timeline of Icahn Mount Sinai through the decades.

1963

The New York State Board of Regents granted a charter to The Mount Sinai Hospital to create The Mount Sinai Hospital School of Medicine, permitting the school to grant MD and PhD degrees. A separate but overlapping Board of Trustees for the School was created.

1964

Charter amended to change name to Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

1967

Affiliated with City University of New York, name changed to Mount Sinai School of Medicine of City University of New York. First Faculty Assembly held, with approximately 1,200 faculty members.

1968

First students arrive: a first-year class with 36 students, including four women; a third-year class with 23 students; and 19 students in the Graduate School. Basic Science building on 102nd Street was opened.

1970

The first class of Mount Sinai School of Medicine graduated, with 23 students.

1972

First commencement of graduates who had spent all four years at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

1973

First classes were held in the Annenberg Building.

1982

Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development created—a first in a U.S. medical school.

1984

Aron Residence Hall opened for medical students.

1987

Humanities and Medicine Program established to attract liberal arts students to careers in medicine

1989

Master of Science Degree in Community Medicine added, later changed to Master in Public Health.

1993

Mount Sinai School of Medicine, for the first time, graduated more women than men; a first in New York State.

1995

The Mount Sinai School of Medicine Consortium for Graduate Medical Education was established.

1996

East Building (now Icahn Medical Institute) opened.

1999

Affiliated with New York University, name changed to Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University.

2001

Institute for Medical Education established.

2003

Master of Science in Clinical Research added.

2005

Mount Sinai School of Medicine added new offerings, including Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program, and Master of Science in Genetic Counseling.

2010

The Middle States Commission granted the School initial accreditation to be a free-standing accredited body and to grant its own degrees. Name changed to Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

1998

First White Coat Ceremony for first-year medical students.

2013

Name changed to Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in honor of trustee Carl Icahn. Mount Sinai Health System is announced, comprising Icahn Mount Sinai and seven affiliated hospitals. The medical school also announced an affiliation with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to collaborate on educational programs, research, and development of new diagnostic tools and treatments.

2015

The Tisch Cancer Institute at Icahn Mount Sinai was named a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.

2016

Icahn Mount Sinai and Stony Brook University on Long Island announced a partnership to develop joint graduate and medical educational programs.

2019

Master of Health Administration program added.

2023 Jacobi Medallion Award Ceremony

A group portrait of the 2023 Jacobi Medallion Award honorees joined by others attending the ceremony, including Dennis Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Kenneth Davis, MD, CEO of Mount Sinai Health System.

Seated, from left: Sandra K. Masur, PhD, FASCB; Talia H. Swartz, MD, PhD, MSSM ’08, MSH ’13; Lakshmi A. Devi, PhD; Marta Filizola, PhD; Jessica R. Moise; Swan N. Thung, MD, FAASLD; and Kenneth Davis, MD, CEO of Mount Sinai Health System. Standing, from left: Patricia Kovatch; Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD; Bruce E. Sands, MD, MS; I. Michael Leitman, MD, FACS;  Burton A. Cohen, MD, MSH ’79; and Dennis Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The Mount Sinai Alumni Association and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai presented accomplished physicians, researchers, educators, and administrators with the 2023 Jacobi Medallion, one of Mount Sinai’s highest awards. The annual ceremony was held Wednesday, March 15 at the Plaza Hotel.

The recipients of the Jacobi Medallion have made exceptional contributions to the Mount Sinai Health System, Icahn Mount Sinai, the Mount Sinai Alumni Association, or the fields of medicine or biomedicine.

View the digital program

Watch the In Memoriam video

Burton A. Cohen, MD, MSH ’79

Radiologist, New York Medical Imaging Associates

Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Cohen

Lakshmi A. Devi, PhD

Mount Sinai Professor in Molecular Pharmacology

Professor, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, and Department of Psychiatry

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Devi

Marta Filizola, PhD

Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Sharon and Frederick Klingenstein/Nathan Kase, MD Professorship

Professor, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, and Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Filizola

Patricia Kovatch

Dean for Scientific Computing and Data

Professor, Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, and Pharmacological Sciences

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dean Kovatch

I. Michael Leitman, MD, FACS

Dean for Graduate Medical Education

Professor, Department of Surgery, and the Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Leitman

Jessica R. Moise

Senior Associate Dean for Sponsored Programs, Grants and Contracts Officer

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dean Moise

Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD

Icahn Scholar

Director, The Tisch Cancer Institute and Mount Sinai Health System Tisch Cancer Center

Ward-Coleman Chair in Cancer Research

Professor and Chairman, Department of Oncological Sciences

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Parsons

Bruce E. Sands, MD, MS

Dr. Burrill B. Crohn Professor of Medicine Professor

Professor and Chief, Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Sands

Swan N. Thung, MD, FAASLD

Professor, Lillian and Henry M. Stratton-Hans Popper Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Thung

2022 Jacobi Medallion Award Ceremony

Seated, from left: Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD; Yvette Calderon, MD, MS; Jean-Frederic M. Colombel, MD; Reena Karani, MD, MHPE; Ebby Elahi, MD, MBA, FACS; and Joanne L. Stone, MD, MSHCDL; Standing from left: Talia H. Swartz, MD, PhD; Naomi LC Luban, MD; Sandra K. Masur, PhD, FASCB; Annetine C. Gelijns, PhD; Dennis S. Charney, MD; Barbara J. Niss, BA, MA;  Rosalind J. Wright, MD, MPH and Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD.

The Mount Sinai Alumni Association and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai presented accomplished physicians and researchers with the 2022 Jacobi Medallion, one of Mount Sinai’s highest awards. The annual ceremony was held Tuesday, June 21 at the Plaza Hotel. It was the first in-person ceremony in three years.

The recipients of the Jacobi Medallion are those physicians and faculty members that have made exceptional contributions to the Mount Sinai Health System, Icahn Mount Sinai, the Mount Sinai Alumni Association, or the fields of medicine or biomedicine.

Watch the ceremony video or read the digital program

Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD

G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Research Professor of Geriatrics and Adult Development (Molecular Biology of Aging)

Professor, Departments of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Director, Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment

Vice Chair for Research and Vice Chair for Mentoring, Department of Psychiatry

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Buxbaum

Yvette Calderon, MD, MS

Tenured Professor and Site Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine

Professor, Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Calderon

Jean-Frederic M. Colombel, MD

Director, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Director, Susan and Leonard Feinstein Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Center at Mount Sinai

Professor, Samuel Bronfman Department of Medicine, Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr.Colombel

Carlos Cordon-Cardo, MD, PhD

Irene Heinz Given and John LaPorte Given Professor of Pathology

System Chair and Professor, Lillian and Henry M. Stratton-Hans Popper Department of Pathology, Molecular and Cell-Based Medicine

Senior Vice-President, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System

Professor, Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Watch a video of Dr. Cordon-Cardo

Ebby Elahi, MD, MBA, FACS, MSSM ’96, MSH ’00

Director, Fifth Avenue Associates

Clinical Professor, Department of Ophthalmology

Clinical Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Clinical Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Director, International Affairs at Virtue Foundation, New York

Watch a video of Dr.Elahi

Annetine C. Gelijns, PhD

Edmond A. Guggenheim Professor of Health Policy

System Chair, Department of Population Health Science and Policy

Co-Director, Institute for Transformative Clinical Trials

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr.Gelijns

Reena Karani, MD, MHPE, MSH ’02

Director, Institute for Medical Education

Professor, Leni and Peter W. May Department of Medical Education

Professor, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine

Professor, Samuel Bronfman Department of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr.Karani

Naomi LC Luban, MD, MSSM ’72

Vice Chair, Institutional Review Board, Office for the Protection of Human Subjects

Vice Chair for Academic Affairs, Children’s National Medical Center

Faculty Lead, Mentored Research Career Development, Clinical and Translational Science Institute at Children’s National

Professor, Pediatrics and Pathology, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Watch a video of Dr.Luban

Barbara J. Niss, BA, MA

Director, The Arthur H. Aufses, Jr., MD Archives & Mount Sinai Records Management Program (retd)

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr.Niss

Joanne L. Stone, MD, MSHCDL

Professor and System Chair

The Ellen and Howard C. Katz Chairman’s Chair The Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr.Stone

Rosalind J. Wright, MD, MPH

Horace W. Goldsmith Professorship in Children’s Health Research

Dean for Translational Biomedical Research

Co-Director, Institute for Exposomic Research

Professor, Jack and Lucy Clark Department of Pediatrics

Professor, Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health

Professor, Samuel Bronfman Department of Medicine, Catherine and Henry J. Gaisman Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr.Wright

 

Annette Stauber Cohn, RN, Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Class of 1943, Turns 100

Annette Stauber Cohn, RN, will be 100 years old on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Ms. Cohn enrolled in the former Beth Israel Hospital School of Nursing (now Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel) in 1940. At that time, it was a three-year diploma program.

Back then, the nursing students resided on two floors of the hospital. As at other nursing schools of the time, students conformed to strict standards of behavior, dress, and health habits. A housemother made rounds every night at 10 pm. A dress inspection was conducted weekly, and the students were weighed to make sure they did not “get too heavy” since it was perceived as a professional necessity that nurses possess the required stamina and “look well.” The uniforms were green. Because World War II was on, there were no silk stockings, rayon was too expensive, and nylon was being used for parachutes, which left black cotton hose. By the end of the day their feet would be purple.

All the instruction was provided by the physicians and nurses at the hospital. Students worked 12-hour shifts six days a week on the hospital wards, and attended classes in between their other duties. In return, they were given housing, uniforms, and books and were paid a small monthly allowance.

Although times were different and certainly much stricter, Ms. Cohn fondly recalls her time in New York City, first as a student and later as a registered nurse. On weekends, she would visit museums, galleries, and flower markets, and attend free concerts. An avid lover of the arts, she once took a group of nursing students to the opera, where they bought standing-room tickets.

She began her nursing career at Beth Israel Hospital when she was asked to work directly for the hospital and nursing school director, Dorothea Daniels. This was quite a testament to Ms. Cohn’s skills, since Ms. Daniels had a reputation as “a woman to be reckoned with.” Her first assignment was to review nursing applications and later she taught at the nursing school.

It was at Beth Israel Hospital that Ms. Cohn met the love of her life, Perry David Cohn, MD, who completed his residency and internship in pediatrics at the hospital. They were engaged when World War II broke out; Dr. Cohn was drafted and served his country as a physician. He finished his tour with an honorable discharge, but then received orders to return and was stationed in Georgia. These events kept delaying their marriage and so they decided to have a small wedding in New York City and then move to Georgia together. Eventually they made their way back up North to New Jersey where they later built a house in Passaic.

Like most physicians back then, her husband operated his practice out of their home. During those early years, Ms. Cohn was for the most part a homemaker with three children, but she also worked as a nurse alongside her husband when it was very busy. When the children were older, she returned to nursing practice full-time. Over the years her family grew to include three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Upon retirement, she and her husband enjoyed traveling and New York theatre, opera, and ballets. Ms. Cohn always had an eye for art and she enjoyed taking lessons in sculpture and art (paintings and pastels), along with gardening, knitting, and needlepoint, and, of course, spending time with her family and friends.

Fond memories of her time in nursing school and living in New York City led Ms. Cohn to write a memoir (“Out of Time and Place”) about those early days. Recognizing how important the school was to Ms. Cohn, for her 85th birthday her children established a graduation award in her name. Ms. Cohn was delighted to attend the pinning and graduation ceremonies annually and have the opportunity to share some of her experiences with the students and personally congratulate the recipients of her honorary award.

When asked what the secret to such a long life is, she did not hesitate to say, “Having a wonderful husband, fantastic children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and the support of my friends and exceptional health care providers.”

2021 Jacobi Medallion Award Ceremony


The Mount Sinai Alumni Association and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai presented accomplished physicians and researchers with the 2021 Jacobi Medallion, one of Mount Sinai’s highest awards, in a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, June 22.

The recipients of the Jacobi Medallion are those physicians and faculty members that have made exceptional contributions to the Mount Sinai Health System, Icahn Mount Sinai, the Mount Sinai Alumni Association, or the fields of medicine or biomedicine.

Watch the ceremony video or read the digital program

These are the recipients of the 2021 Jacobi Medallion:

 2021 JACOBI MEDALLION RECIPIENTS:

JUDITH A. ABERG, MD

Dr. George Baehr Professor of Clinical Medicine

Dean, System Operations for Clinical Sciences

Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai Health System

Watch a video of Dr. Aberg

DONALD A. BERGMAN, MD, MSH ’77

Clinical Professor, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Department of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Bergman

ANA FERNANDEZ-SESMA, PHD, MSSM ’98

Professor, Department of Microbiology

Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai Health System

Watch a video of Dr. Fernandez-Sesma

EVAN L. FLATOW, MD

Bernard J. Lasker Professor of Orthopaedics

President, Mount Sinai West, Mount Sinai Health System

Professor, Leni & Peter W. May Department of Orthopedic Surgery

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Flatow

RONALD H. HOFFMAN, MD, MSH ’76

Albert A. and Vera G. List Professor of Medicine

Director, Myeloproliferative Disorder Research Program

The Tisch Cancer Institute

Professor, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Hoffman

ELIZABETH A. HOWELL, MD, MPP

Harrison McCrea Dickson President’s Distinguished Professor

Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine

University of Pennsylvania Health System

Watch a video of Dr. Howell

JOY S. GAYLINN REIDENBERG, PHD, MSSM ’88

Professor, Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Department of Medical Education

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Reidenberg

LESLIE E. SCHNEIER, MBA, MPH

Dean for Faculty Affairs and Administration

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Schneier

PHYLLIS A. SCHNEPF, MS

Dean for Education and Research Administration

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Watch a video of Dr. Schnepf

JUAN PABLO WISNIVESKY, MD, DRPH

Drs. Richard and Mortimer Bader Professor of Medicine

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System

Watch a video of Dr. Wisnivesky

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