“Dr. Osler Regrets” is another very interesting Murdoch Mysteries episode featuring another famous Canadian historical figure, Dr. William Osler. He was described as the father of modern medicine and to quote one admirer, one of the "greatest diagnosticians ever to wield a stethoscope", so it’s understandable why Dr. Ogden is a fan.
Osler was born in Bond Head, Canada West (now known as Toronto) on July 12, 1849. Originally, he intended to become a minister, but became interested in medical science after entering Trinity College School and Trinity College, Toronto (now called the University of Toronto) as well as through the influence of two mentors, James Bovell, and Rev. William Arthur Johnson, who encouraged him to change his career goal. Osler would receive his medical degree in 1872.
Following this, Osler became a professor in McGill University in the medicine faculty, creating the first formal journal club. During this time, he also became the first to teach veterinary pathology in North America.
Aside from his great achievements in medicine, however, Osler was a slightly controversial figure as he was a bit of a practical joker, writing many humourous pieces in the Philadelphia Medical News under a pseudonym. In fact, the episode was based on a real event in February 22, 1905 where he gave some very controversial words about old age, suggesting a college where men over the age of 67 be "peacefully extinguished by chloroform", likely angering more than a few of his audience. He meant it as a joke, but like most newspapers today, the media took it seriously, headlining that "Osler recommends chloroform at sixty".
Osler died at the age of 70, on December 29, 1919 from pneumonia.
