Sir William Osler (1849–1919), a well-known British (Canadian-born) physician was renowned for his pithy and memorable quotations. In 1908, he wrote a letter to the physicians of Vancouver, British Columbia, commending his colleagues for organizing a medical society and library. He wrote:
I am so glad that you have started a library. There is no better index of the intellectual status of the profession in any town than the condition of its medical library…Every citizen has a direct personal interest in the development of the profession. I hope that every physician in the place will feel that he should help as much as he possibly can, not only by his individual subscription, but, when he feels he can afford it, by an occasional donation. Tell some of the members from me, please, that money invested in a library gives much better returns than mining stock.1
In this spirit, I wish to thank the generous donors who contributed to the Health Sciences Library System during the past year. The support of these thoughtful people helps our library to provide essential resources to enhance the quality of health care in western Pennsylvania and beyond.
- Mr. Raed S. Abdullah
- Ms. Patricia Bookamyer
- Mr. Joseph Hirsh Cataio
- Arnold and Barbara Epstein
- Kenneth L. Euler, PhD
- Ms. Marie C. Kelly
- Ram Kodavatiganti
- Louis A. Lobes, Jr., MD
- Joanne F. McVay, Dr. PH
- Dr. William J. McVay
- Ms. Janet L. Misko
- Mr. John Kerr Musgrave IV
- Mrs. Maria Pimentel-Schumann
- Mr. Fredrick A. Prinz
- Joseph Salkowitz, DMD
- Elizabeth A. Schlenk, PhD
- Dr. John B. Schumann
1. Harvey Cushing. The Life of Sir William Osler. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1925. Excerpted from Chapter XXVIII in Volume 2.