McGill Library
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Letter to Thomas R. Boggs, April 13, 1906
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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 Thomas R. Boggs from William Osler, 7, Norham Gardens, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. Confirmation that he wants the pseudo-angina cases. Will send him a copy of the Gold Headed Cane before long. He will not be able to receive him in their house, because of their moving and of his trip to America in August, but he can stay at Osler's rooms at Christ Church. Opinion on the place he should work between Boston and Chicago. Take the former place, Favill is a trump. McCrae must have talked to him about the System. Osler wishes him to undertake it.
Copy or transcription.
Cushing's colour code: White (Correspondence)