Osler's A Way of Life & Other Addresses With Commentary and Annotations. (Book Reviews).Authors: S. Hinohara and H. Niki Publisher: Duke University Press, 2001 Sir William Osler Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian-born physician. He has been called one of the greatest icons of modern medicine and described as the Father of Modern Medicine. (Osler himself thought Avicenna held this honour. died in 1919. His long and distinguished career in Canada Canada (kăn`ədə), independent nation (2001 pop. 30,007,094), 3,851,787 sq mi (9,976,128 sq km), N North America. Canada occupies all of North America N of the United States (and E of Alaska) except for Greenland and the French islands of , England, and the US was punctuated by a number of high profile addresses, public speeches, and publications. Since his death many of his writings have been published several times. His work has been analyzed an·a·lyze tr.v. an·a·lyzed, an·a·lyz·ing, an·a·lyz·es 1. To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelations. 2. Chemistry To make a chemical analysis of. 3. and reanalyzed at great length. There is certainly no paucity pau·ci·ty n. 1. Smallness of number; fewness. 2. Scarcity; dearth: a paucity of natural resources. of books on the man and his work. The question therefore is: Do we need yet another book on the writings and addresses of Osler Os·ler , Sir William 1849-1919. Canadian-born British physician who wrote The Principles and Practice of Medicine (1892), the definitive textbook about clinical medicine for his time and one that has been frequently revised and translated. ? Hinohara and Niki have selected 20 of Osler's contributions and proceeded to analyze and reference them. Using a generous number of footnotes, they clarify and give the origins of literary allusions and metaphors that Osler often incorporates in his essays. These are very useful, as nowadays a number of readers may not be as familiar with the classics as were his contemporary readers. Reading these footnotes brings to life the various essays and further increases our understanding of their true meaning. One soon realizes that Osler's message is as valid today as it was when he was delivering it, and that this message is not uniquely directed at physicians and health care professionals but can be useful to all those interested in self-improvement. The answer to the question as to whether or not we need yet another book on Osler is therefore affirmative AFFIRMATIVE. Averring a fact to be true; that which is opposed to negative. (q.v.) 2. It is a general rule of evidence that the affirmative of the issue must be proved. Bull. N. P. 298 ; Peake, Ev. 2. 3. : Hinohara and Niki have provided the proof. Their book is a most welcome addition to the already large collection of books available. Their message, however, is unique: they have removed almost a hundred years of dust off Osler's work and brought it to life. They have shown that these addresses are indeed as contemporary today as they were about a century ago. |
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