"A Vile Custom": The Strange Career of William Osler's "Professional Notes"

J Hist Med Allied Sci. 2023 Nov 25:jrad072. doi: 10.1093/jhmas/jrad072. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTIn 1882, William Osler wrote "Professional Notes among the Indian Tribes about Great Slave Lake, NWT," a fantastical essay that purportedly described the sexual and obstetric customs of Indigenous peoples residing in the Canadian Northwest. Originally prepared as a prank, "Professional Notes," along with Osler's alter ego Egerton Yorrick Davis, became an elaborate inside joke that circulated widely among the medical elite for decades after Osler's death. In this essay, I trace the history and afterlife of "Professional Notes," considering both the colonial context of its creation as well as the reasons for its enduring popularity. I argue that "Professional Notes" both reflected and reinforced the anti-Indigenous racism that permeated the medical profession, particularly during its consolidation in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. I also make a methodological argument for the study of joking within the history of medicine, presenting "Professional Notes" as a powerful example of the role humour has played in shaping medical culture.PMID:38006351 | DOI:10.1093/jhmas/jrad072

Source: Medical History - November 25, 2023 Category: History of Medicine Authors: Jenna Healey Source Type: research