Background
He was born in 1849 in Bond Head (now Ontario). His father was a clergyman, so his upbringing was in a religious atmosphere.
He was born in 1849 in Bond Head (now Ontario). His father was a clergyman, so his upbringing was in a religious atmosphere.
Osler attended Trinity College School at Weston, Ont. , and then entered Trinity College in Toronto to study for the church.
After a year's work he gave up theology and went to McGill University in Montreal to study medicine.
He received his M. D. degree in 1872.
After studied he spent the next two years working in various medical centers in Europe, where he concentrated on pathology, physiology, and clinical medicine. In 1874 Osler was appointed lecturer in the Institute of Medicine at McGill University, and a year later, at the remarkably early age of 25, he was appointed to the chair of medicine of that university.
Osler held the chair of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania from 1884 to 1889, when he went to Baltimore as professor of the principles and practice of medicine and as physician-in-chief at the university hospital.
However, he remained in constant demand at home and abroad for lectures.
His library room was transported and restored at the McGill Medical School in Montreal to preserve intact his valuable collection. Many distinctions and honors came Osler's way, including a baronetcy in 1911.
Osler's books include Principles and Practice of Medicine (1892), an inimitable textbook for many years because of its thoroughness, style, bits of wisdom, and human touches.
Other significant works were Science and Immortality (1904) and A Way of Life (1914).
He was founding professor of Johns Hopkins Hospital. His most famous work, 'The Principles and Practice of Medicine' quickly became a key text to students and clinicians alike. It continued to be published in many editions until 2001 and was translated into many languages.
He founded the Laënnec Society for the study of tuberculosis and was one of the organizers of the National Tuberculosis Foundation.
He was a bibliophile and collector of rare books Osler amassed a remarkable library of books and manuscripts and was closely connected with the founding of many medical libraries.
Throughout his life, Osler was a great admirer of the 17th century physician and philosopher Sir Thomas Browne.
Osler married the great-granddaughter of Paul Revere - Grace. They had two sons, one of whom died shortly after birth. The other, Edward Revere Osler, was mortally wounded in combat in World War I at the age of 21
