Journal of medical biography
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Biography Historical Article
William Osler's Study of the Act of Dying: an analysis of the original data.
Because of popular fears about death and dying, his personal interest in the subject and a lack of empirical data regarding the dying process, William Osler conducted a novel 'Study of the Act of Dying' of 486 patients at the Johns Hopkins Hospital between 1900 and 1904. Osler never wrote a manuscript describing the results of this study. However, in his lecture 'Science and Immortality' Osler mentioned the study briefly and reported that 104 patients (21%) experienced physical, mental or spiritual discomforts. ⋯ A number of factors, including haste, may account for the discrepant results. Nevertheless, the results shed light on the dying process during Osler's time. Furthermore, the results suggest that many dying patients during Osler's time experienced discomforts.
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It has been asserted that William Osler (1849-1919) shaped the Medical Clinic of the Johns Hopkins Hospital 'to become a pre-eminent facility, first in patient care and later in medical education'. Osler's impact on medical education in the United States is beyond dispute, but few, if any, data support the assertion that patients at the Johns Hopkins Hospital fared better than those at similar hospitals during the late 19th century. ⋯ The numerous publications that arose from Osler's service suggest the data were derived not from the hospital charts, but rather from a parallel system of data collection designed mainly for research. Issues raised by this review of the charts on Osler's service reverberate in American medicine.