He wrote to the end and, by choice, died in his own bed at age seventy of pneumonia, following a thoracentesis. His textbook entitled The Principles and Practice of Medicine, 1892, and all of his presentations, articles and letters became treasures in the lives of so many physicians.
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Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Deluxe, 2nd edition, defines the humanities as: (a) languages and literature, especially the classical Greek and Latin; (b) the branches of learning concerned with human thought and relations, as distinguished from the sciences; especially literature and philosophy, and often the fine arts, history, etc. If ever a physician fit the definition, it was truly Sir William Osler. Even in bedside teaching and while talking with patients and students, his classical background was evident. More than any physician I have ever read about or known, he used this vast knowledge to get his point across or to clarify direction to his patients and to his profession. Truly he was a "man for all seasons."
There are hundreds of presentations by Osler and hundreds more written by others; therefore, to discuss Osler and the humanities is not a nominal task. During this presentation, each of you is encouraged to think of your own favorite Oslerian presentations and quotes about the humanities as I share brief special points. My personal selections are: (1) A Way of Life, (2) the biographies of William Beaumont, A Pioneer American Physiologist, and the introduction to The Life of Louis Pasteur by R. Vallery-Radot, (3) Aequanimitas, (4) Man's Redemption of Man, and (5) The Old Humanities and The New Science.
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