The Quotable Osler

Abstract

Sir William Osler (1849-1919), a dedicated and caring physician, was the prolific author of more than 1600 works in his lifetime, including The Principles and Practice of Medicine, one of the first comprehensive medical textbooks. Such was his output, his great personal following and the large number of eponymous signs and diseases he gave rise to, it is unsurprising that his sayings have endured. Many a lecturer has embellished his talk with an Oslerian quote or two. A Canadian by birth, he worked in his native country, the United States and finally in Oxford as the Regius Professor of Medicine, so his influence spanned two continents. The Quotable Osler is a collection of quotations compiled from his various publications by three American editors. The book is divided into themes such as personal qualities, the art and practice of medicine, diagnosis and science and truth. The selected quotes portray Osler as a deeply moral, committed and enthusiastic doctor whose capacity for hard work was immense. He believed ‘that the practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will be exercised equally with your head’. His bedside skills and manner were widely admired by students and colleagues. He was a passionate educator of medical students and advocate of lifetime learning, believing in the value of careful examination of the patient and the study of medical texts. ‘To study the phenomena of disease without the books is to sail an uncharted sea, while to study books without patients is not to go to sea at all’. The chapter on Men, Women, Aging and History provides some of the most surprising and colourful quotes. Osler's ambivalent views on women in medicine are aired. On the one hand he applauded the decision to allow women entry to medical school but, on the other hand, he considered women more suited to science than to medicine: ‘a larger proportion of women than men are unfit for practice... and what they [women] lack in initiative and independence is counterbalanced by a more delicate technique’. It is easy to criticize 100 years on but Osler's reservations reflected the views of his generation. He had some advice on marriage—‘Choose a freckle-faced girl for a wife: they are invariably more amiable’—and considered it important for a physician to ‘marry well’. Osler possessed some amusing ageist views on ‘the comparative uselessness of men above forty’ and considered that ‘a very large proportion of the evils [of the world] may be traced to sexagenarians’, who account for the greatest political and social mistakes, the worst poems and the worst sermons. Not surprisingly, he felt ‘men above 60 should retire’. The Quotable Osler is a fascinating insight into the life and beliefs of one of the greatest physicians. It is mainly of value as a historical account rather than of direct relevance to today's practice. Osler enthusiasts will doubtless disagree. This book will enthral retired physicians, and doctors with even the slightest interest in medical history.