The main Greek fraternity is Phi Delta Epsilon. Their offices are in Florida with chapters primarily in the U.S. The other organization is a quasi-secret fraternal organization known as the Order of the Black Skull.
Phi Delta Epsilon
History
In October 1904, Aaron Brown and eight of his friends founded Phi Delta Epsilon at Cornell University Medical College. During the first decade of this century there were many doors closed to Jewish medical students and physicians, doors which would not fully open until after World War II. In 1904, it was not uncommon for American medical schools to have quotas limiting admission of Jewish students, and medical fraternities. So Aaron Brown and his friends decided they would start their own fraternal organization, guided by the precepts of philanthropy, deity, and equity.
The success of the Cornell chapter soon led to the organization of other chapters in the East and Midwest. In 1918, Phi Delta Epsilon amalgamated with Alpha Phi Sigma, a medical fraternity organized in 1908, whose ideals and principles were similar to those of PhiDE. Its chapters were in the Midwest and West, making for an ideal union.
Following the amalgamation, the United States was divided into districts and, by 1930, enough members had graduated from medical schools allowing for the formation of graduate clubs. In 1926, an Endowment Fund was started giving the Fraternity long-term stability. In the 1940s the Aaron Brown Lectureship Program was begun and has remained a vital chapter event through the years.
In the late 1960s, the Fraternity opened its membership to women and encouraged recruitment of medical students of all races, nationalities and religious beliefs. The past 25 years have seen the Fraternity's membership become wonderfully diverse, reflecting the diversity of the medical profession today. The addition of the premedical affiliation in 1994 at Binghamton University rounded out the Fraternity's membership, which now spans an entire lifetime of medical education and practice.
PhiDE celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004 as a strong, vibrant, professionally directed organization headed for new growth and great excitement. The 21st century beckons us, and we continue operate under Aaron Brown's guiding principles of Philanthropy, Deity, and Equity.
Phi Delta Epsilon has grown from a small insular group to a diverse, all-inclusive organization. We have done this by making our motto live: Facta Non Verba, Deeds Not Words. And, indeed, we will continue to prosper, grow, and spread the warmth of our fraternalism into the future.
Symbols
The pin, the emblem of Phi Delta Epsilon, is a three lettered one, forming the Greek letters Phi, Delta and Epsilon. Joining the Phi and the Epsilon is a bow, emblematic of friendship. In the center of the bow is a ruby in honor of Alpha, the mother Chapter organized at Cornell. The sides of the Delta are set with pearls and the angles with amethysts. These are the colors of the Phi Delta Epsilon - purple and ivory. These stones are identical in all Chapters. From the Delta to the bow is a torch, the torch of knowledge, with which ignorance is dispelled. The center of the Delta is empty but as occasion demands various stones be placed therein in order to designate successful completion of a term in a specific office.
The seal of the Fraternity consists of the scales of justice (with the hopes that the member will keep at an even balance) with the letters Phi, Delta and Epsilon on the sides and at the bottom. The scale is balanced upon a caduceus with a Delta as its base. Above the scale are the spread wings of the Phoenix, a bird which is said never to die, signifying an everlasting life for Phi Delta Epsilon. The letter Alpha appears beside the left wing and the letter Sigma beside the right. Above the center of the wings is a star containing the letter Phi. These letters, Alpha, Phi and Sigma represent the amalgamation with Alpha Phi Sigma Fraternity in 1918.
Order of the Black Skull
The other organization is a secret fraternal organization called the Order of the Black Skull. The Order has chapters around the Caribbean, Latin America, and Mexico.
The Order of the Black Skull is a secret fraternal organization comprised mainly of American physicia and medical students who attended Caribbean medical schools. Though the origin of the society is murky, it is reported to have started in the late 1970’s by four medical students when the first medical schools catering to Americans began opening in the Caribbean. It is likely that Ross University was the site of founding. The Order was formed to promote advancement of North American students who having studied in the Caribbean, encountered discrimination when seeking medical licensing and residencies in the United States. Members are known as “Skullies” or alternatively “Skull-eyes.”
It is said among members that as part of the first initiation ceremony, the skull of a body was removed from the university anatomy lab and burnt black to remove any traces of human tissue. The skull was said to be from an indigenous Carib Indian shaman or “Boyaz” whose skeleton was purchased for study. The body of the shaman was most likely exhumed illegally from grave robbers that serviced the medical school. The skull legend also features prominently in a greeting used by members seeking other members, “Have you ever have tried Caribbean black rum?” The questions is said to reference the story of the founding members drinking a flammable rum from the charred skull. An answer in the affirmative and a hand shake confirms membership. To members, the Order of the Black Skull is usually referred to as the Order.
Initiation
Though the exact initiation has been a well kept secret, four difficult trials are known to exist as part of the ceremony. The members are then asked to swear a solemn oath to the Order and an alternate version of the Hippocratic Oath. In some chapters, a small fire brand of a skull is still on new used on new members despite bylaw amendments that prohibit such activity. Some physicians may also have a hidden skull or skull with caduceus tattoo denoting membership.
Ritual
Many of the rituals of the Order involve variations of Carib Indian traditional rites. Tobacco, fire, and highly distilled rum are used to invoke the spirits of the Carib “Boyaz” or healers.[1] The leader of the ceremony and initiator of new members is known as “Maybouyae”. The name is likely a derivative of a Taino religion deity “Maybouya” who Carib Indians believed was an evil spirit that could only be appeased by sacrifice.
Membership and Organization
The Order of the Black Skulls is divided by chapters in each country. Though exact numbers are unclear, the Order is said to have thousands of members worldwide with chapters spreading to Latin and Central America in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Many of the Order’s members have gone on to hold prominent positions in the U.S. and Canada at such hospitals as Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic. [2]
Controversy
As the Order of the Black Skull is primarily a fraternal organization promoting the causes of medical school graduates, members are sworn to advance the interests of other Caribbean graduates. This practice may be seen as a corruption of a matching algorithm used by physicians seeking residency.
Artifacts
After a hiding place of the original ceremonial skull and ritual objects was accidentally discovered in the late 1990’s by local developers in Dominica, the artifacts reclaimed and moved to another Caribbean island where they remain out of use today. To avoid detection, the location is known only to the original founding members.
