Medallic tributes to Sir William Osler and their historical associations.

The life of William Osler, MD, spanned three nations and two continents and left an enduring and universal impact on medicine. Osler held professorships during his career in Montreal, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Oxford. His achievements great and small during these periods have been medallically commemorated both in his lifetime and posthumuously. The most famous of these portrayals is the Vernon plaque created in Paris at the turn of the century, of which many replicas and variants have been produced. The historical associations of these medallic tributes are relevant to better understanding of certain aspects of Osler's life and elucidating those unusual qualities of mind and character that made him unique.