Letter from Edward Revere Osler to his aunt, Susan Chapin [Transcript]
Contributor(s):
Chapin, Susan
Cushing, Harvey (Transcriber)
Osler, Edward Revere
Osler Library of the History of Medicine, McGill University. Osler Library Archive Collections, P417: Harvey Cushing Fonds
Revere reports that the No. 3 Canadian General Hospital recently ceased to function as a hospital and is now a "turbid mud hole, rank with unrest and discontent." He delivers a seething report of how the authorities closed down the hospital, sent the staff and patients to a temporary shelter, and proceeded to leave them there for 5 weeks living in tents and fighting the elements. He describes the living conditions in great detail and writes of his companions Bill and Campbell Howard, Dr. Russell, and Dr. Little. He managed to obtain a week's leave, during which he accepted a new position as quartermaster in a Canadian field ambulance, much to his parents delight.. [Description courtesy of McGill University.]. About this transcript: Soon after Osler's death in 1919, Lady Osler asked their good friend Dr. Harvey Cushing to write a biography. For this project, Cushing gathered a wide variety of material, including a substantial amount of Osler correspondence and other memorabilia borrowed from Osler's family, friends, and colleagues. He employed three secretaries to transcribe these documents, and later donated the transcripts (along with his other working materials) to the Osler Library. Because many of the original documents were returned to the owners, the Cushing transcripts constitute the largest and most accessible collection of Osler's correspondence.. Harvey Cushing's "Life of Sir William Osler" was published by Oxford University Press in 1925, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1926.
Copyright:
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