Osler and his Australian associations — part 1: during his life

Roxanas, Milton G

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb04105.x

Topics

“... the current may turn towards the [medical] schools of the great nations of the south ... the Africander, the Australian, or the New Zealander may reach a development before which even ‘the glory that was Greece’ may pale”

The influence of Sir William Osler on medicine is still apparent nearly 100 years after his death. Here, I examine what he knew about Australia, which Australians he met and how this enriched their personal and professional lives, and his influence on Australian medicine in general.

Department of Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.

Correspondence: mroxanas@bigpond.net.au

Acknowledgements:

I wish to sincerely thank Elizabeth Milford (Royal Australasian College of Surgeons), Pamela Miller (Osler Library), Liz Rouse (Royal Australasian College of Physicians), Kay Lee and Frances Miechels (Concord Hospital Medical Library) who contributed to this article with their willing help in searching for references and pictures. I acknowledge with gratitude the inspiration and guidance of Dr Charles George, Dr Richard Golden, Dr Oleg Preda, Professor Michael O’Rourke and Dr Jill Forrest.

Competing interests:

None identified.

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