An Alabama Student And Other Biographical Essays


Read by David Wales

(2 stars; 1 reviews)

Here are thirteen biographical sketches of physicians penned by one of the founders of modern medicine, William Osler, published in 1908. "Sir William Osler, one of the best-loved and most influential teachers of his time, was born in Canada in 1849…. Wherever he worked his gifted and unique personality was a center of inspiration… one would like to see his honorable place as a man of letters more generally understood. His generous wisdom and infectious enthusiasm are delightfully expressed in his collected writings…. His lucid and exquisite prose, with its extraordinary wealth of quotation from the literature of all ages, and his unfailing humor and tenderness, put him in the first rank of didactic essayists…. Rich in every gentle quality that makes life endeared, his books are the most sagacious and helpful of modern writings…" - Summary by Christopher Morley, Modern Essays, 1921, and David Wales (11 hr 16 min)

Chapters

Preface 1:50 Read by David Wales
An Alabama Student 41:19 Read by David Wales
Thomas Dover, Physician And Buccaneer 40:05 Read by David Wales
John Keats, The Apothecary Poet 36:30 Read by David Wales
Oliver Wendell Holmes 21:37 Read by David Wales
John Locke As A Physician Part 1 39:43 Read by David Wales
John Locke As A Physician Part 2 23:56 Read by David Wales
Elisha Bartlett, A Rhode Island Philosopher Part 1 53:06 Read by David Wales
Elisha Bartlett, A Rhode Island Philosopher Part 2 (Including an Appendix, A … 58:37 Read by David Wales
A Backwood Physiologist Part 1 37:52 Read by David Wales
A Backwood Physiologist Part 2 29:20 Read by David Wales
The Influence Of Louis On American Medicine 48:03 Read by David Wales
William Pepper 42:44 Read by David Wales
Alfred Stille 35:27 Read by David Wales
Sir Thomas Browne Part 1 32:07 Read by David Wales
Sir Thomas Browne Part 2 24:55 Read by David Wales
Fracastorius 29:47 Read by David Wales
Harvey And His Discovery Part 1 41:50 Read by David Wales
Harvey And His Discovery Part 2 37:19 Read by David Wales

Reviews

Didn't finish


(2 stars)

This was dull stuff, but that was fine as I was listening to it to help me sleep, and David Wales' narration is often helpful in this. Unfortunately the first chapter delved into the medical world of the 1800s which wasn't so conducive to a good sleep. For example, the author recounts a visit to a hospital in France, where at that time dissection was commonplace. In fact, there was even a comment from a dying patient to a doctor that she would soon see him in the mortuary next door for her dissection. It was a bit macabre for bedtime.