Public relations biography of william osler

Canadian physician and co-founder of Johns Hopkins Hospital (1849–1919)

Not to be confused with William Ostler.

Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet, FRS FRCP (; July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian physician and one of the "Big Four" founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Osler created the first residency program for specialty training of physicians. He has frequently been described as the Father of Modern Medicine and one of the "greatest diagnosticians ever to wield a stethoscope". In addition to being a physician he was a bibliophile, historian, author, and renowned practical joker. He was passionate about medical libraries and medical history, having founded the History of Medicine Society (formally "section"), at the Royal Society of Medicine, London. He was also instrumental in founding the Medical Library Association of Great Britain and Ireland, and the (North American) Association of Medical Librarians (later the Medical Library Association) along with three other people, including Margaret Charlton, the medical librarian of his alma mater, McGill University. He left his own large history of medicine library to McGill, where it became the Osler Library.

Biography

Family

William Osler's great-grandfather, Edward Osler, was variously described as either a merchant seaman or a pirate. One of William's uncles, Edward

Sir William Osler (pronounced Ōsler) was a seminal figure in internal medicine. But who was he and why does he continue to be an important influence in internal medicine to this day?

William Osler lived from 1849 to 1918, and during his career he helped create the foundation of the discipline of internal medicine and was also instrumental in developing the system of clinical medical education that continues to be used today.

Born in Canada and receiving his medical degree from McGill University in Montreal, Osler subsequently traveled to Europe for additional training, a common practice by North American physicians at the time given the advanced state of medical knowledge and clinical education there compared to Canada and the United States. He studied in England (where he would eventually teach at Oxford and be conferred a baronetcy by King George V), but also attended clinics in Berlin and Vienna, studying under Rudolph Virchow and other great German clinician-teacher-investigators.  

What differentiated internal medicine from other medical disciplines was a deep understanding of the basic sciences (such as physiology, bacteriology and pathology) that were emerging at the time, mastery of physiology and the pathophysiologic basis of disease, and the ability to apply this knowledge to the care of patients. This approach

OSLER, Sir WILLIAM, physician, educator, medical philosopher, and historian; b. 12 July 1849 in Bond Head, Upper Canada, son of Featherstone Lake Osler*, a Church of England priest, and Ellen Free Pickton, both of Cornwall, England; m. 7 May 1892 Grace Linzee Revere, widow of Dr Samuel Weissell Gross, in Philadelphia, and they had two sons, one of whom survived infancy; d. 29 Dec. 1919 in Oxford, England.

William Osler was the eighth of nine children. His mother, Ellen, who survived past her 100th birthday, lived to see a son, Britton Bath Osler*, recognized as one of Canada’s most distinguished trial lawyers; another, Featherston Osler, a judge of the Ontario Court of Appeal; a third, Edmund Boyd Osler*, a highly successful financier; and a fourth, William, the best-known physician in the English-speaking world. William’s father had accepted an evangelical calling that took him from the Royal Navy to a challenging life battling God’s enemies in the sparsely populated bush north of Toronto in Upper Canada. The Oslers came to their new home in 1837.

As the family grew, inadequate educational opportunities in Bond Head dictated a move to a larger community. In 1857, when the rectorship of Ancaster and Dundas became vacant, the family took up residence in Dundas, which was to be their home for 25 years.

William was an active and mischievous child, and numerous stories describe his jokes and pranks, one of which ended in an overnight stay in jail. But Osler was also a fine student who planned to pursue his father’s vocation in the church. In 1866 he was sent to Trinity College School, then in Weston (Toronto), operated by the Reverend William Arthur Johnson*. Not only an Anglican priest and schoolmaster, Johnson was also an ardent biologist who introduced Osler to microscopy. Before long, Osler’s commitment to the church began to falter.

From his father’s library Osler had acquired a deep knowledge of religion a

ABSTRACT

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests, the USA (US) has become extensively polarized across social and political divides. The COVID-19 pandemic has left tens of thousands dead and several million American citizens without work. Furthermore, the months of quarantine and uncertainty with the COVID-19 virus impacted the economic stability and health of Americans. In recent weeks, the divides have only deepened with the death of George Floyd from police brutality, which ushered in worldwide protests addressing racial, social, and law enforcement issues for minority groups. Both developments have ushered in unprecedented challenges for addressing social disparities while controlling the spread and devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. With social media and mass communication, polarization between opposing groups has only deepened the divide. An inclusive dialogue that recognizes the intellectual and interpersonal boundaries of opposing groups would provide an avenue towards mutual understanding and further collaboration towards a common goal and solution. A physician that exemplified many aspects interfaith dialogue in his clinical practice and personal life was the late Sir William Osler. This will be accomplished through a fictional dialogue between Sir William Osler and Dr. Mark Webb.

KEYWORDS: Interfaith, medicine, religion, Sir William Osler, and dialogue

1. Introduction

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests, the USA (US) has become extensively polarized across social and political divides. The COVID-19 pandemic has left tens of thousands dead and several million American citizens without work. Furthermore, the months of quarantine and uncertainty with the COVID-19 virus impacted the economic stability and health of Americans. In recent weeks, the divides have only deepened with the death of George Floyd from police brutality, which ushered in worldwide protests addressing racial, social, and law enforcem