The Charter
The first official meeting of the Osler Society was held in Dr. Crane’s office on March 21, 1927. At its inception, the group only consisted of three members: Dr. Crane, Dr. Lloyd, and student E.A. Bartram. In just over a month, twelve other members were nominated to the group one-by-one. This group of men would be referred to as the Charter Members of the Osler Society.
The Constitution of the Osler Society deemed that membership would be made up of undergraduate students at the Medical School. Members “must be nominated at one meeting and voted upon at the next meeting”. Graduates of the Medical School and Alumni of the Society would always be welcome to attend future meetings as Honorary Members, but only active members could present their research and papers on various topics in medical history. Once a year, the society would invite Honorary Members or other guests to present their own papers.
Membership to the Osler Society became exclusive with its 1929 amendments, as it was decided that: “no more than four members be received from any one year,… prospective members [would] be considered primarily on their academic standing, [and] the first four in the class [would receive] consideration first”. Being invited to become a member of the Osler Society was an elite honor for medical students during its early years.
The Osler Society had been operating for eight months under the name of Sir William Osler before they sent a formal letter to Lady Osler seeking permission to use her late husband as their namesake. The letter was sent on November 29, 1927, but no response is held in the fonds.
The Osler Society Gavel
In 1931, the Osler Society was visited by Dr. Norman B. Gwyn, William Osler's nephew. Gwyn presented the society with wood from William Osler's birthplace in Bond Head, Canada West (Ontario). The wood was fashioned into a gavel by a local craftsman, and remains in use at meetings today.
