[email protected] [email protected]

The virtual Dr. Osler

Robert Patterson, MD

photo of Dr. William Osler taken in A 1890 as he started writing The Prin- ciples and Practice of Medicine shows an ab- sorbed man sitting at a desk, with a car- pet of textbooks spread in front of him. Use of modern information technology would have considerably shortened and simplified Osler’s task, but how would this great humanist and philosopher have regarded the use of soulless machines like Its Web site has both a brief biography man was not overly impressed by Osler’s computers in medicine? And how would and bibliography. bedside manner and Osler was not a big he deal with the flood of medical infor- Perhaps the best tribute to Osler’s fan of Whitman’s poetry. mation available on the Web? legacy is the Osler Medical Journal We’ll never know what Osler would (omj.med.jhu.edu), an Internet publica- About that headache . . . have said about the Internet, but we do tion created, written and edited by know what the Internet says about him. housestaff at Johns Hopkins. Osler was Outspoken in his own day, Osler is A query for “William Osler” yielded professor of medicine at the then fledg- still cited by some controversial groups more than 1000 hits, which provided a ling medical school and penned his fa- to support their views. Several pro- reflection of his life, accomplishments mous textbook there. The residents pay marijuana sites refer to Osler’s support and philosophies. tribute to his memory by providing a of cannabis as a remedy for migraine Osler was born in Bond Head, Ont., forum that promotes reading, research headaches. An acupuncture site credits and it is fitting that Sir William Osler and writing. Each issue has topic re- him with introducing the practice of Public School in Simcoe County bears views, tips on bedside diagnosis, case acupuncture to American physicians. his name — even if Osler receives far reports and a section called Praxis, Osler was a prolific author and less space on the school’s Web page which deals with the human side of sought-after speaker, and many of his than the boys’ basketball schedule. medicine. Osler would be proud to see pithier maxims are alive and well on the McGill granted Osler his medical this thoughtful effort bear his name. Web. He is quoted in diverse sites such degree, and he was a professor of medi- The influence of Osler extends well as business pages, consulting services cine in Montreal before heading to the beyond North America. A museum of and medical sites like the Society of US. The Osler Society of McGill Uni- radiology in Belgium features a poster Medical Decision-Making. Here’s a versity was inaugurated in 1921, and its of Osler as a pioneer of medicine. A sampling. Web page (www.medcor.mcgill.ca medical clinic in Chennai, India, is From a physician’s personal page: /~oslerweb/home.html) presents the named the Osler Diagnostics Centre. A “Common sense in matters medical is history of the society, an essay contest Singapore medical resident has devel- rare, and is usually in inverse ratio to and different Osler-related events. oped what may be the largest Osler site the degree of education.” Not surprisingly, Osler was a 1994 on the Web (www.shim.org/~minhan From a pharmacist’s Web site: inductee of the Canadian Medical Hall /osler-homepage/osler-index.htm), with “The desire to take medicine is perhaps of Fame (johns.largnet.uwo.ca/shine an extensive collection of quotations, the greatest feature which distinguishes /cmhf/cmhfhall.htm), along with biographical information and links to man from animals.” Maude Abbott, Frederick Banting and other Osler-related sites. Osler was a compassionate physician Wilder Penfield. Several books on Osler are mentioned and humanist who took the young doc- The American Osler Society on the Web. The most famous is The Life tors of his day away from textbooks and (staffweb.lib.uiowa.edu/deimas/AmOsle of Sir William Osler, which won a Pulitzer to the patient’s bedside. Perhaps he rSoc/index.htm) is a group of health Prize for its author, American neurologist would not be offended to see today’s professionals “dedicated to memorialize Harvey Cushing. Another book deals physicians spending time at a computer and perpetuate the just and charitable with the nature of the relationship be- terminal if he knew they were reading life, the intellectual resourcefulness and tween Osler and one of his more famous about his teachings. — Dr. Robert Pat- the ethical example of William Osler.” patients, Walt Whitman. In brief, Whit- terson, [email protected]

CMAJ • OCT. 5, 1999; 161 (7) 853

© 1999 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors