The Osler Societies: a qualitative and quantitative portrait.

Over 700 presentations have been given at the meetings of the American Osler Society (AOS) since its inception in 1970. Fully half of these have treated various aspects of Osler's personal and professional life. Many have dealt with Osler's specific contributions to an array of medical specialties. Other national/international Osler Societies including the Osler Club of London and the Japan Osler Society have treated similar topics but in different proportions historically. As the societies have matured, the foci of their talks have broadened from Osler and more bio-medical historical topics to include more of the contemporary ethical, ideological and socioeconomic issues facing the medical profession. Osler himself tended to speak more frequently on such topics in his later life. For Oslerians, Osler has had such a profound influence upon the history of medicine that, at least for them, to study Osler is to study the history of medicine. A description of the culture of the AOS meetings is ventured.