"Dearest G. .. yours WO": William Osler's Letters from Egypt to Grace Revere Osler (review)

What Philip M. Teigen has characterized as "the Osler Industry"¹ is alive and well, as evidenced by a continuing flow of publications, pilgrimages, lectureships, and the activities of the various Osler societies. This continuing pursuit of a more detailed Osler emerges from interest in "Oslerian medicine," which is to say, medicine in its broad historical context; Osler as the Complete Physician; Osler's own writings, which form the underpinnings of his immense professional importance; and the personal Osler, which focuses on details of his practice, his relationships with his family, his quirks, practical jokes, dreams, finances, friendships, and professional relationships.

The present volume speaks particularly to the personal Osler, through the medium of twenty-seven letters to his wife, Grace Revere Osler, written in 1911 during a six-week journey on the Nile with his older brother, Edmund Boyd, and five others. They provide a window onto the world of privilege nearly one hundred years ago. The Osler party, organized and led by Edmund Boyd, included also his daughter, Annabel Margaret ("Amo") and her husband; Elsie Bethune, a friend of Amo's; Ernest Caltanach, a prominent Toronto lawyer; Arnold Muirhead, future Rhodes Scholar and memoirist;² and W. O. himself. Some sense of how privileged the trip arrangements were can be gleaned from the fact that the party of seven went up the Nile on a chartered boat with no passengers but themselves, and was served by a crew of thirty! Osler commented on the perfection of the arrangements when he said, "everything is provided—even to a laundry man" (p. 19).

Osler had obviously prepared himself for the trip by reading in Egyptian history, and the letters are therefore those of an intelligent and informed traveler. Although he had left Grace behind—apparently at her insistence—or perhaps because he had left her behind, the letters contain recurrent assurances that she would not have liked the trip, chiefly because of the heat, the blowing sand, and other discomforts. The letters have a constrained Edwardian flavor; most are signed "yours," a few with "love." This may not be entirely ascribable to the post-Victorian/Edwardian mores of the time: in one of the letters, writing of his son, he refers to "that Oslerian shell of reserve" (p. 58). There are occasional references to visits from friends, to the vicissitudes of relatives, and particularly to what was obviously a very substantial level of concern about their son, Revere. While Osler seeks to reassure Grace about the boy in a number of the letters, his own concerns are made plain: in one he writes, "such a nice letter from R[evere]—it seems that he must be making progress," and in another, "card from Revere—very hopeful. Dear lad—please do not worry, that boy will come out alright—good health, sweet disposition—hang the brains—they might only get him in trouble" (p. 56).

A window on Osler's circle, and on the travel habits of his class, is offered by the number of people he met on the trip who were already known to him: colleagues, former patients, and old friends from Johns Hopkins University were added to new acquaintances, chiefly medical, who came his way as they went up the Nile. He visited several hospitals, and saw examples of diseases he had not previously seen. Through a good part of the trip he provided medical care for Mr. James Ross, a wealthy Canadian and former business partner of Mrs. Osler's brother. Ross was traveling on his own yacht, which, in light of his illness (thought by W. O. at one point to be...