Sir William Osler, M.D.(1849-1919). Osler was one of the most, if not the most, influential physicians in modern history. He was born in Canada, educated at McGill University and held distinguished positions at Penn and Johns Hopkins before he became Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford.He was a brilliant clinician and educator and a prolific contributor to the medical literature. One of his greatest but least known accomplishments was his contribution to establishing the modern American residency training system while he was a member of the 'Big Four' in medicine at Hopkins (other members of that group were Halstead, Kelley and Welch) By establishing a period of formal training for aspiring young physicians. Abraham Flexner and the physician greats at Hopkins helped lift American Medicine out of the 'apprentice' system for training physicians and thus helped make American medicine what is now admired as the 'gold standard' for the world:excellence begins with rigorous training. Osler signed material is very rare and signed photos of him are virtually unobtainable (The one shown is SOLD and is for iconography only).

This offering is an TLS on 6.25 in. x 8.5 in. stationery with the heading, Dr. William Osler, No. 1 Franklin Street West, Baltimore and dated Nov. 17th, 1903. The upper left hand corner states Consultations by Appointment Only from 2:30-4:30 P.M.The letter reads in part, "Dear Longcope:-, Congratulations on your Bulletin, which looks very well, and it will help very much in making the work of the Hospital well known. I have always thought that the wisest expenditure of money that the Johns Hopkins Trustees ever made was that put into their publications. I shall be very much interested in looking over your work on Hodgkin’s disease. Why could you not come down some evening this winter and give us a talk on the subject at the Hospital Medical Society? I would be interesting to have a good discussion on the subject. I am very glad to read your conclusions, as they quite agree with my own notions on the subject.”

This is a fabulous letter in all respects. First it is written from Baltimore where Osler became so famous and made many of his greatest contributions.Second, it mentions Johns Hopkins Hospital and the commitment the Trustees had made to publications and making the institution world famous and the letter reflects that Osler knew the importance of research and publishing in advancing either a medical institution or the careers of its staff or both. Third, the letter has medical content in that it mentions the subject of Hodgkin's Disease. Hodgkin's in that era was a universally fatal disease while today most patients can either be cured or have their lives prolonged greatly. Fourth, the letter was undoubtedly written to a young and rising star Warfield T. Loncope, M.D. who himself eventually became famous and served a s Physician-In-Chief at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.***It is very possible that Osler was one of Loncope's mentors and helped advance his career.

The letter does not scan well but it is in excellent condition and it is signed Wm Osler.

Price:$OLD

***Warfield T. Longcope was born in Baltimore. He graduated from the Johns Hopkins University in 1897 with an A.B. and received his M.D. in 1901 from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. During World War I, he served as major in the U.S. Medical Officers Reserve Corps and in the Office of the Surgeon General. In 1918, he earned the rank of colonel. After serving on the staffs of several hospitals in Philadelphia and New York City and on the medical faculties of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and Cornell University Medical College, Longcope returned to Johns Hopkins in 1922. He joined the faculty of the school of medicine as professor of medicine and the staff of the Johns Hopkins Hospital as physician-in-chief, serving in both positions until his retirement in 1946. With research interests in infectious diseases, he published on syphilitic aortitis, Hodgkin's disease, atypical pneumonia, and hypersensitivity.