Notable Members
Dr. Leonard Rowntree
As a devoted follower of William Osler, Dr. Leonard Rowntree became an honourary president of the Osler Society in 1935. As a 1905 graduate of Western’s Medical School, Rowntree never got to be a club member as an undergraduate student but was welcomed with open arms after his pioneering work in kidney research. Rowntree was also a notable name in the study of the history of medicine after his published biography of Dr. James Parkinson, which continues to be the most widely referenced biography of the English doctor. In 1930, Western University established the Rowntree Prize for the best essay on the history of medicine, of which many winners were members of the Osler Society.
Dr. Angus McLachlin
Dr. Angus McLachlin was an active member of the Osler Society before graduating from Western’s Medical School in 1932. After commanding an overseas surgical unit during the Second World War, Dr. McLachlin returned to Western University as Chairman of the Department of Surgery for 30 years, retiring in 1974. Dr. McLachlin is known for founding and serving on 19 different medical and surgical societies, is considered to be the founder of modern surgery in Southwestern Ontario, and one of the leaders of surgery in Canada.
Dr. Murray Barr
Dr. Murray Barr graduated from Western’s Medical School in 1933. He was an active member of the Osler Society during his school years, even winning the Rowntree Prize for Medical History in 1931. After the Second World War, Dr. Barr returned Western University to teach at the Medical School, and served as an honourary president of the Osler Society in 1954
Dr. Barr became a notable physician and researcher after his discoveries and contributions to the field of genetic testing. Dr. Barr also co-wrote the authoritative textbook on neuroanatomy and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. In 1998, Dr. Murray Barr was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
Never forgetting his love for medical history, as fostered by his time in the Osler Society, Barr also wrote A Century of Medicine at Western, outlining the history of the medical school at Western University from 1876-1976.
Dr. Don Bondy
Dr. Donald Clarence Bondy is the Osler Society's oldest living member. Bondy originally joined the Osler Society in the 1950s and served as the society president for the 1954-1955 school year. Bondy graduated from Western's Medical School in 1956, receiving many honours that year, including winning the Rowntree Prize in the history of medicine. Bondy remained in London, completing an internship at Victoria Hospital, starting as an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, and becoming a pioneering gastroenterologist at University Hospital. In 2007, Bondy was recognized for his work and given the Distinguished Service Award from the Ontario Association of Gastroenterology. Dr. Bondy maintains active participation in the Royal Canadian Legion.
Dr. Carl Morlock
Dr. Morlock is a 1931 graduate of Western's medical school. He continued the tradition started by Dr. Norman Beal who was recruited by the Mayo brothers to join the clinic in 1918 and continued by Dr. Rowntree who founded the Mayo Clinic's research program. Morlock was a pioneering gastroenterologist who was at the Mayo Clinic from 1934, becoming its head of medicine in 1952. Since then, many Western graduates have attended the Mayo Clinic for specialist training.
Dr. Lloyd Stevenson
Dr Stevenson was Osler Society President in 1941 and was assistant Osler Librarian at McGill University until he became the dean of medicine (1956-1963); chairman of the department of history of science at Yale University (1963-1968) and chairman of the department of the history of medicine at Johns Hopkins University (1968-1984). He was editor of the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences (1964-1968) and of the Bulletin of the History of Medicine (1968-1983)
Dr. Donald Bates
After serving the coastal communities of Labrador with the Grenfell Mission, Dr. Bates decided to change course and become a medical historian. He interrupted his doctoral
studies at Johns Hopkins University (Ph.D. 1975) to join the department of history of medicine at McGill University. He was appointed acting Osler Librarian in 1966. His tenure as librarian was noted for his aggressive acquisition policy and for merging
administratively with the general library at McGill. Bates extended medical history studies to include anthropology and social studies. His collaborator Joe Lella later moved to London where he was part of our history of medicine community. Personally, he was an activist for peace during a period of concern regarding the proliferation of
nuclear weapons. Bates was the Canadian representative of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War when it won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. Don Bates died in 2001.
Dr. Elizabeth Musclow
Dr. Musclow was the first woman Osler Society president in 1965. Dr. Musclow became a specialist in pathology, haematology and laboratory medicine. She practiced in Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and was known for her work on alloimmunization, Factor XI deficiency, and the role of bacteriocins in cancer. Dr. Musclow’s career coincided with increased mechanization of laboratory procedures.
Dr. Alexandra Istl
As a member of the Osler Society, Dr. Istl won the Rowntree Prize (2013) and the Bean Award of the American Osler Society (2013), publishing historical papers regarding Western’s participation in the First World War and a biography of Dr. Edwin Seaborn. Dr. Istl completed residency in general surgery at Western, followed by a surgical oncology fellowship in Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Istl is an assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, practicing in the Froedtert Hospital, with special skills in advanced surgical treatment of abdominal and chest cancer.
Dr. Marie Jeanne Ferrari
Dr. Marie Jeanne Ferrari graduated in 1960 and then completed internal medicine residency. She practiced at the Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, New York, (now Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), at Tulane University in New Orleans, and the University of Ottawa as an epidemiologist in the department of public health. She is known for working in austere conditions in Haiti. Photo and information taken from Western News.
https://news.westernu.ca/2024/03/centenarian-medical-grad-looks-back-on-first-generation-of-women-students/
Dr. Virginia Caroline Graham
Dr. Virginia Caroline Graham was a member of the Osler Society throughout her time in medical school. Dr. Graham graduated in 1960. Western's V. Caroline Graham Award is named for her.
Dr. Gail Madell
Dr. Gail Madell (nee Alexander) was an officer of the Osler Society throughout her time in medical school. Graduating in 1960, Dr. Madell became one of the first female medical officers of the RCAF. She practiced in Metz (France), Maareeba (Australia) and Orillia (Ontario). Dr Madell died in 2016.
Dr. Hanna Hronyecz
Hanna Hronyecz (Meds2026) has been a member of the Osler Society throughout her time in medical school. She won student awards at the 2025 meeting of the American Osler Society (Pasadena) and the 2024 History of Medicine Days (Calgary). Hanna won a 2025 Molina Travel Award from AOS and was invited to become a trainee member of the society's membership committee.