Medical students at McGill are invited to explore the historical, social, ethical, and humanistic side of their field thanks to an essay contest established by the Medical Students’ Osler Society and the Board of Curators of the Osler Library of the History of Medicine, and endowed through a generous gift by Pam and Rolando Del Maestro.

The essay contest gives undergraduate medical students the opportunity to explore any theme of interest to them in the history, social studies, sociology, ethics, and humanities of the health sciences. It also provides them with the chance to be mentored by an expert in their topic drawn from the Library’s Board of Curators or elsewhere to complete their project, and to use the rich resources of the Osler Library and other libraries at McGill.

Medical students have found that the contest has allowed them to broaden their understanding of medicine in ways that go far beyond the curriculum.

Initial proposals are due May 2nd! For more information see https://www.mcgill.ca/library/branches/osler/essay-contest.

Hello,

Although the Osler Library has been undergoing renovations, we have still been hard at work helping researchers, collecting great material, receiving donations (more later) and issuing the latest issue of the Osler Library Newsletter. There are obituaries for two graduates of McGill Medicine 1945, both with very close ties to the Library; Dr. William Feindel, long-time honourary Osler Librarian and Curator, and Dr. Marian Kelen, who grew up surrounded by the books in Oxford while her father, Dr. W.EW. Francis, catalogued Osler collection.

The renovations continue. We should have an update as to when our collections will be accessible again, although we do have some items in Rare Books. And of course, we are still here serving the history of medicine community.