New-York tribune., 1919-12-30
Stricken With Pneumonia
Las, Month, Scientist
Made Heroic Fight for
Life at Oxford, England
Given Highest Honors
Came Into Fame Through
Whimsical Remark at
Johns Hopkins,Univcrsity

OXFORD. England, Dec. 29.-Sir
William Osler, the noted physician,
wlio had been i'll for several weeks.
died here this evening
Although Sir William Oslcr wss
known TO DC seriously i'll at his home
in Oxford, where he has been regius
professor of medicine since 1904. re.
cent advices had given hope for his
recovery. Sir William, who passed his
seventeen birthday last July. was
stricken with pneumonia in November,
but about the middle of that month
was reported convalescent.
fortnight ago. however. reports
reached this country that he had taken
turn for the worse. Cabled advices
shortly afterward announced that his
condition was somewhat improved.
while on Christmas Day a message
from him was received at the Johns
Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. in
which the famous physician extended
christmas greetings to all his old
friends and announced that he WAS
making a good fight after an opera
tion.
Victim Of His Own Phrases
DR.. Osler was for many years q vic
tim of one of his own phrases At
the time when he was closing his dis
tiMguished career in America to enter
upon an equally distinguished career
IN England. he made half-scrious,
whimsical reference to the too
frequent decline of mems physical and
mental powers after passing middle
life. This was instantly taken up, gro
tesquely misinterprctcd and exploited
IN fantastic fashion, until probably a
large proportion OF superficial read
ers of the current press supposed that
he actually had advocated the cutila-
nasia of all men over sixty And 70
"Oslerize' was added to the current
vocabulary, with sinister Specification.
OF course, the eminent physician
had no such absurdity in mind, but the
foolish imputation stuck, and may be
remembered as long as his great CON
trlbutions to the physical health of
the race.
William Osler, son of the Rev. +. l..
Osler, was born at Bond Head. Canada.
July II, 1s49, and was educated at
Trinity College, Toronto; Toronto Uni
verslty; McGill University, Montreal;
University College, London, and the
Electing to teach as we'll as to practice
his chosen profession. he became in
1874 professor Of the Institutes of Med
icine at McGill University, and in that
place served Tor ten years, meanwhile
in 1878 being appointed one of the Wis
iting staff Of the Montreal General Hos
pital. In 1883 he was elected fellow
OF the Royal College Of Physicians, in
London. and in 1884 was elected Gal
stonian professor, in London.
Instead Of going to the British CAPT
tai at that time, however, he accepted
in that same year the professorship of
clinical medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania, and there served with
great distinction until 1889. Then he
became the first professor of the prin-
ciples and practice of medicine in Johns
Hopkins University, and nine years
later he was made dean OF the medical
faculty and physician in chief at that
institution.
Became Famous Here
1t was at Johns Hopkins that his
career in America reached its culmina-
ton, and his fame as both practitioner
and teacher became Worldwide. In ad-