McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
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H3A 0C9
Letter to Henry Barton Jacobs, January 23, 1909
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A major figure in modern medical history, Sir William Osler is well known as a scientific researcher, a great medical pedagogue, a humanist, and an advocate for a patient-centered approach to medicine.
Born in Bond Head, Ontario, in 1849, Osler earned his medical degree at McGill University, and later taught at McGill's Faculty of Medicine from 1874 until 1884. Osler then joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where he was appointed Chair of Clinical Medicine before becoming Physician-in-Chief and one of the "Big Four" founders of Johns Hopkins Hospital and medical school in Baltimore – the first school of its kind to train medical students in a modern residency program. Osler finished his career as Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, where he also devoted time to his passion for book collecting. His library of nearly eight thousand rare and historic works of the history of medicine and science is known as the Bibliotheca Osleriana, documented by a published catalogue of the same title.
Sir William Osler was knighted in 1911 in recognition of his contributions to medical science and teaching. His library of 7600 volumes on the history of medicine and science bequeathed to McGill University forms the nucleus of the present Osler Library of the History of Medicine. His life and contributions to medicine are described in detail in the Pulitzer-Prize winning biography "Life of Sir William Osler" (London: Oxford University Press, 1925) by Harvey Cushing.
Letter to Henry Barton Jacobs from William Osler, Grand Hotel Mont-Fleury, Cannes, France. Mentions that because of a tonsillitis, he had to cancel his visit to Lyons. Enjoys Cannes, the temperature and the hotel. The Van Burens and many other old friends are in Cannes. They went to Valiscure, St. Raphael, and Cap d' Antibes. Plans to stay there for ten days and then go to Rome, leaving Naples a few days before he sails to America. Proposal to join them in Rome, and then visit Florence and the North. Positive comments on the men and the information he got in Paris. Details on what Vernon needs to do to Osler's portrait. Comments on the new building. Hopes the Frick room will be nice. Positive comment on the latter. Miss Nichols is going out to Miss Noyes. He needs someone who can work for him at the Bodleian, and look up references in 3 or 4 languages.
Copy or transcription.
Cushing's colour code: White (Correspondence)