Osler and his Australian associations--Part 2: Continuing influence.

he first part of this article (page 686) examined the life and medical influences of William Osler (Box 1) in the context of his Australian connections. This second part looks at his encounters with Australians in the final years of his life, and the influence and legacy he left on Australian practitioners and medical practice after his death. In 1918, the Oslers were still grieving the loss of their son Revere in the war the previous year. This catalysed Osler's decision to bequeath his house to " Christ Church [College, Oxford] as a permanent home for my successors " , in the absence of any progeny. 1 On 24 March 1918, Lady Osler wrote to Kate Cushing (Harvey Cushing' s wife): These wonderful pictures have just come from Major Fiaschi from the Australian hospital in Boulogne. He — Fiaschi — was once in Baltimore from Australia as a PG [postgraduate]. Perhaps you remember him — we often see him. He says he has sent some pictures to Dr Cullen … This implies that when Piero F B Fiaschi (Box 2) worked with Harvey Cushing in Baltimore in the United States, he was introduced to William Osler and that he continued the friendship and visits after Osler went to Oxford. As the tide of war was turning in 1918, Osler was lecturing Canadian and American medical officers on postgraduate medical courses and preparing them for life after the war. In October of that year, Hugh Cairns (Box 3), an Australian from Adelaide, was introduced to Osler by A L Smith, the master of Balliol College, Oxford. Osler offered Cairns an appointment at the Radcliffe Infirmary for 6 months when he was discharged from the army, and then advised him to work for a Bachelor of Science in surgical pathology at Oxford, and subsequently to prepare for obtaining Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons. 5 Cairns was a frequent visitor at the Oslers' house, the " Open Arms " , and on 25 January 1919 was introduced to Harvey Cushing. Cairns attended Osler' s Saturday morning rounds at the Radcliffe Infirmary, which continued until Osler became ill with bronchopneumonia in T " I would like an arrangement made with publishing houses in India and Australia to issue special editions of my textbook in those countries … I have so many friends in both places, many of them men in official and …