William Osler was born to an Anglican minister and his wife on July 12, 1849, in Bond Head, Canada West (now Ontario). His early life was not distinguished in terms of academic accomplishments. Initially, Osler entered Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, to join the clergy. Osler was soon drawn to a career in science, however, and—encouraged by early mentors—entered McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, to earn his doctorate in medicine.
After graduation, the young physician departed for Europe where he pursued additional training in anatomy, pathology, physiology, neurology, dermatology, and general medicine at some of the most prestigious institutions around the globe, from Leipzig and Berlin to Paris. Dr Osler then returned to McGill and was often referred to as the “baby professor,” as he was—with all of his experience and expertise—still younger than many of his students.
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Dr Osler's early career established him as a hard worker, a fine clinician, and an enthusiastic and effective teacher. He performed more than 1000 autopsies from 1874 to 1884, often traveling great distances to pursue necropsy for interesting cases.
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In 1884, Dr Osler was offered a position as a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He was one of the few hired faculty members who were not a product of the “Penn” system. In his new role, Dr Osler's reputation as a clinician and educator grew.
A short five years later, Dr Osler was offered the chairmanship of the department of medicine at the new Johns Hopkins Hospital and Medical School in Baltimore, Md. In this opportunity, which Dr Osler eagerly accepted, he saw a chance to establish a medical school in the European tradition in the new world: excellent laboratories and a well-organized housestaff that served as compliments to an active and vibrant research community.
In his first few years at Johns Hopkins, when the labs and clinics were newly established but before any students were enrolled, Dr Osler wrote the landmark first edition of
The Principles and Practice of Medicine.
1 It was also during this time that Dr Osler married Grace Revere Gross, a descendant of Paul Revere and the widow of a prominent Philadelphia surgeon.
During the next 15 years at Johns Hopkins, Dr Osler achieved worldwide fame as a brilliant clinician, attracting an international referral practice. He also achieved fame for his innovations in medical education, including methods of bedside instruction that are now long-established, standard practice within the medical profession.
By 1905, however, with increasing demands on virtually every aspect of his professional life, Dr Osler was approaching what some have described as “near burnout.”
2 It was at that time—the very peak of his fame—that Dr Osler was offered, by royal appointment, the Regius Professorship of Medicine at Oxford University in England. Dr Osler accepted this position—long considered mainly an honorific appointment—at the request of his wife.
On his arrival at Oxford University, however—and in keeping with his personal style of hard work and creativity—Dr Osler became fully engaged in his professorship, continuing to innovate even when it was not expected of him.
In addition, Dr Osler quickly gained a reputation for hospitality; his home at Oxford was referred to as “Open Arms” because he was so welcoming and generous in sharing his time and insights with traveling physicians, medical researchers, and students.
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It was also during this phase of his life that Dr Osler delivered his most famous speeches. His public addresses during this period are the basis of current interest in Osler's humanistic approach to medicine.
Tragically, in 1917, the Oslers lost their only son, Revere, in World War I—a blow from which Dr Osler never completely recovered emotionally.
Sir William Osler died of bronchopneumonia in 1919 at the age of 70.
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