OslerianaA Medical Humanities Journal-Magazine Volume 1 • July 2019 Medicine’s Lunar Legacies • René T. H. Laennec Walter R. Bett • Leonardo da Vinci OslerianaA Medical Humanities Journal-Magazine Editor-in-Chief Nadeem Toodayan MBBS Associate Editor Zaheer Toodayan MBBS Corrigendum: As indicated in the introductory piece to this journal and in footnotes to their respective articles, both editors are Basic Physician Trainees and therefore registered members of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP). In the initial printing of this volume (on this inner cover and on page 5) the postnominal of ‘MRACP’ was used to refer to the editors’ membership status. This postnominal was first applied to the Edi- tor-in-Chief in formal correspondence from The Osler Club of London. Subsequent discussions with the RACP have confirmed that the postnominal is not formally endorsed by the College for trainee members and so it has been removed in this digital edition. Osleriana – Volume 1 Published July 2019 © The William Osler Society of Australia & New Zealand (WOSANZ) e-mail: [email protected] All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, print, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of WOSANZ or the individual author(s). Permission to reproduce any copyrighted images used in this publication must be obtained from the appropriate rightsholder(s). Please contact WOSANZ for further information as required. Privately printed in Brisbane, Queensland, by Clark & Mackay Printers. Journal concept and WOSANZ logo by Nadeem Toodayan. Journal design and layout by Zaheer Toodayan. Cover image: William Osler, Notman Studios, Montréal, October 1881. From The William Osler Photo Collection, McGill University Library. Professionally colourised by Dynamichrome Ltd. (www.dynamichrome.com) Osleriana Osleriana A Medical Humanities Journal-Magazine Volume 1 • July 2019 An Official Publication of Brisbane Contents ‘Embryon Philosophers’: Introducing The William Osler Society . 2-6 of Australia & New Zealand Medicine’s Lunar Legacies . 8-55 Z. Toodayan Apollo 11 – 50 Years . 56-61 René Théophile Hyacinthe Laennec: Advancing Auscultation . 62-70 E. Carson The Centenary of William Osler’s Final Address: . 72-73 ‘The Old Humanities and the New Science’ ‘The Iniquity of Oblivion’: Dr Walter Reginald Bett (1903-1968) . 74-111 N. Toodayan A New Centenary Portrait of Sir William Osler . 112 A Spot on the Moon ..................113 Long Lives Leonardo . 114-129 Z. Toodayan ‘Gaspare Aselli (c.1581-1625)’ . 130-142 W. R. Bett, with notes by N. Toodayan 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. – William Osler (1849-1919) The Master-Word in Medicine, University of Toronto, 1st October 1903. 1 ‘Embryon Introducing Philosophers ’ The William Osler Society of Australia and New Zealand 29th December 2019 marks the centennial anniversary of the death of Sir William Osler (1849-1919), one of the most widely respected and celebrated physicians of the modern era. For generations of practitioners in English speaking countries, William Osler’s life in medicine has represented the very apogee of physicianhood, as he persistently personified eminently desirable character traits in both personal and professional spheres. A first class clinician, pathologist of considerable skill, beloved comrade, companion, essayist, and educator, Osler has been justly upheld by posterity as the embodiment of humane-scientific medicine. His cardinal influences on the profession relate to i) his broad grasp of clinical concepts as demonstrated in his classical encyclopaedia of general medicine, ii) his optimism towards scientific medicine and its future advancements as evidenced by his teaching practices and life-long encouragement of scientific methods, iii) his profound humanism as indicated in his many celebrated lay sermons and historical works, iv) his intuitive connectivity with people as recalled by almost every person who came into contact with him, and v) his overall vision for a healthier, happier, and more harmonious world. Almost a full decade ago, Roxanas recapitulated William Osler’s influences on Australian medicine.1, 2 He reminded us that “Osler’s influence on Australia was similar to that on other countries” and provided several illustrative examples to prove the point. To these important connections may be added further associations of interest to Australian physicians. In the first edition of his Principles and Practice of Medicine, William Osler specifically refers to the “most striking figures”3 of his Australian contemporary Francis Hare (1856-1929), whose researches into the utility of cold-bath therapy for typhoid fever4 “from the Brisbane Hospital, Australia”3 led to him being known as a “conqueror of typhoid” by his contemporaries and as “one of the most intellec- tual and successful physicians the State of Queensland has ever known.”5 Reciprocal recognition of William Osler by Australian doctors is also of considerable interest, and a heritage listed historical doctors’ surgery in Townsville has been known as ‘Osler House’ since the 1930s.6 Australia is perhaps unique in retaining the only other known living doctor with the name ‘William Osler,’ in this case a gastroenterologist working in Hobart, Tasmania, who is a direct South African descendant of Sir William’s paternal great uncle Benjamin Osler (1775- 1821).7 Few if any other Australian doctors can trace their medical lineage directly back to Osler, although Sydney’s Isbister medical family provides a notable exception in this regard.8 Elsewhere in Australia, Osler’s name has been brandished by a personalised digital clinical portfolio application (Osler Technology),9 in several articles published in Australia’s premiere medical journal,10, 11, 12 and in various Osler related educational posts on Life in the Fast Line – a popular Australian open access medical education website.13 In New Zealand, the University of Otago’s online medical humanities forum Corpus directly refers to Osler’s writings in a formative context,14 and other New Zealanders have also turned to Osler’s example as a source of inspiration with regards to their daily clinical practice.15 Despite these generally affirmative trends, it should also be noted that some of the most striking revisionist perspectives on William Osler published in recent years have also come out of Australia. These notably divergent views, primarily the province of Melbourne physician Dr Patrick Fiddes (and his doctoral advisor Professor Paul Komesaroff)16, 17 – who has studied William Osler’s life in medical education through a particular philosophical lens – are reflective of Australia’s pluralistic society. The William Osler Society of Australia and New Zealand – WOSANZ for short – is the brainchild of twin-broth- er physician-trainees and medical history enthusiasts, Drs Nadeem and Zaheer Toodayan (Figures 1a and b). Like Browne’s “two infants in the womb” they have often entertained “a dialogue… concerning the state of this world” and consider themselves to be – with just reverence for their literary hero Sir Thomas Browne (1605- 1682) – “but embryon philosophers”.18 Driven by an early curiosity towards eponymous clinical signs and 2 Osleriana syndromes in medical school, it was the second-born twin (Nadeem) who early focussed his historical interests on William Osler’s life and legacy. A decade onwards now, and the opportunity has arisen to further study and discuss Osler’s story before an Australian audience. It was in anticipation of the Osler centenary many years prior that plans for an Australian Osler society were first suggested. The Society’s constitution was duly drafted on Sir Thomas Browne’s 413th birthday last year (see page 5) and a number of commemorative meetings have been held since the 99th anniversary of William Osler’s passing on 29th December 2018 (Table 1). The society’s slogan ‘Exegi monumentum aere perennius’ – ‘I have erected a monument more lasting than bronze’, taken from the Odes (III, XXX, lines 1-5, 23 B.C.) of Horace (65 B.C.-8 B.C.) – has been chosen to indicate Osler’s perennial influence over the medical profession; the motto is included in our lettered logo which incorporates Osler’s portrait, the sacred staff of Asklēpiós, and the Southern Cross constellation (see constitution). Our official journal – Osleriana: A Medical Humanities Journal-Magazine – will serve as the major record for our historical studies and other commemorative contributions. With unlimited word counts and carefully produced high quality articles, Osleriana hopes to become an attractive option for contributing authors in areas of topical interest. Alongside the regular newsletters produced by the American Osler Society19 and The Osler Library of the History of Medicine,20 Osleriana is the only official journal specifically dedicated to publishing works in the area of Osler studies. Much else besides will also be included, but an underlying Oslerian link will be apparent in most contributions. In this inaugural issue for example, we cover several com- memorative subjects – Osler would have been delighted to read of the lunar craters named for distinguished medical personalities, and would similar- ly have supported articles on Laennec and Da Vinci, both of whom he admired greatly. He would have enjoyed Walter Bett’s (1903-1968) article on Gaspare Aselli (c.1581-1625), and approved of a detailed biographical sketch of this oft-times forgotten scholar of medical history. Osleriana also includes much shorter articles published in a magazine-like format. These contributions aim to cover in summary form other activities of significant interest to the So- ciety. In this issue, we include brief editorials commemorating the Apollo 11 Moon landing fifty years ago and William Osler’s final public address which was delivered to the Classical Asso- ciation in Oxford one-hundred years ago. Details concerning proposals for an Osler lunar crater and an Osler centenary por- trait campaign are also included.