Solving the Mystery of Sir William Osler and Acupuncture: How Knowledge and Prevailing Attitudes Shaped a Physician.

Abstract

Background: Medical education in North America was shaped by a biomedically bounded framework dating back to the early nineteenth century. Yet, one renowned physician, William Osler (1849-1919), seemed to stand out among his contemporaries by promoting acupuncture as a form of treatment. Some physicians in the early 1970s proposed that Osler was ahead of his time by including acupuncture in his medical textbook, The Principles and Practice of Medicine (1892). Others, however, dismissed this notion based on an alleged biographical account that Osler's only witnessed acupuncture treatment was embarrassingly ineffective.

Objective: The question that should garner more attention from the medical acupuncturist is not whether Osler was an acupuncturist. The key question should be: Why was Osler not an acupuncturist? This article explores what may have discouraged William Osler from pursuing and promoting acupuncture as a legitimate system of medicine.

Methods: This research includes the analysis of all primary and secondary sources connecting William Osler to acupuncture, including The Principles and Practice of Medicine, The Life of Sir William Osler, The Evolution of Modern Medicine, and Bibliotheca Osleriana. Additional sources, including research by two prominent Osler scholars, letters, bulletins, archives, and film, were evaluated.

Results: Analysis of all available historical material demonstrates compelling evidence that Osler was not an acupuncturist. Contributing factors included limited access to knowledge, inadequate training, and prevailing attitudes during his lifetime.

Conclusions: Creating a more prominent place for medical acupuncture in healthcare requires deep reflection into the history of what forms a physician's worldview. Understanding what led to Osler's knowledge and attitude toward acupuncture could inspire innovative strategies to encourage more Western physicians to train in East Asian medicine and integrate it into practice.