{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T00:44:38Z","timestamp":1777855478222,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,26]],"date-time":"2017-10-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1508976000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["J Med Biogr"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,11]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>In 1905, William Osler was the pre-eminent physician in American medical circles but was unknown to the general public. The latter suddenly learned of him through damning newspaper accounts of his address announcing his retirement from the Johns Hopkins Medical School. In it Osler mentioned two \u201cfixed ideas\u201d he held\u2014(1) that most major advances in civilization have been made by men under age 40 (the \u201cfixed period\u201d) and (2) that those over 60 should retire because they create little of significance and sometimes stifled the initiatives of younger colleagues. He highlighted the second idea with a Victorian novel describing a mythical society which chloroformed men at age 60. He never imagined that this literary allusion would be taken as a serious solution for his second idea. However, countless newspaper articles ridiculed the first and condemned him for the second. Scurrilous press attacks on him continued for several months and resurfaced occasionally thereafter. The extent of the public approbation can also be found in poems and stories linking him with euthanasia. Also discussed here are the sources of Osler\u2019s equanimity in the face of such public derision and the inner drives which accounted for over 1300 publications by him\u2014nearly half of which were composed after age 40.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0967772017730014","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,26]],"date-time":"2017-10-26T10:34:27Z","timestamp":1509014067000},"page":"189-197","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["William Osler and the \u201cfixed period\u201d of creativity"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Charles T","family":"Ambrose","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, Immunology, & Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-0967772017730014","unstructured":"The \u201cFixed Period\u201d episode in Osler\u2019s life is treated briefly in the two major biographies (Cushing, Bliss)\n                      3,4\n                      and also in the many single-authored essays listed below. Their titles are omitted here, since the subject is same. \u2013 White W\n                      . Bull Hist Med\n                      1937; 5: 937\u2013940. \u2013 Pratt JH.\n                      Arch Int Med\n                      1949; 84: 80\u201392. \u2013 Penfield W.\n                      Prospect Biol Med\n                      Summer 1961: 437\u2013444. \u2013 Viets HR.\n                      Bull His Med\n                      1962; 36: 368\u2013370. \u2013 Schneck JM.\n                      J His Med\n                      1963; 18: 175\u2013176. \u2013 Alvarez WC.\n                      Modern Med\n                      1963: 262\u2013270. \u2013 Roland CG\n                      . J Am Med Assoc\n                      1965; 193: 98\u2013100. \u2013 Weisse AB.\n                      J Chron Dis\n                      1979; 30: 473\u2013475. \u2013 Fye WB.\n                      New Engl J Med\n                      1989; 320: 1425\u20131431. \u2013 Johnson HA.\n                      The Pharos\n                      Winter 1996: 24\u201326. \u2013 Hirshbein JD.\n                      Arch Int Med\n                      2001; 161: 2075\u20132078. \u2013 Birnbaum B.\n                      Boston College Magazine\n                      , Summer 2008."},{"key":"bibr2-0967772017730014","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.1905.92500360031002i"},{"key":"bibr3-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Cushing H.\n                      The Life of Sir William Osler,\n                      2 vols. London: Oxford University Press, 1940."},{"key":"bibr4-0967772017730014","volume-title":"William Osler: a life in medicine","author":"Bliss M","year":"1999"},{"key":"bibr5-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Golden RL and Roland CG (eds)\n                      Sir William Osler. An Annotated Bibliography with Illustrations.\n                      San Francisco: Norman Publishing, 1988."},{"key":"bibr6-0967772017730014","first-page":"46","volume":"64","author":"Anon","year":"1920","journal-title":"Osler\u2019s Refutation of Himself. Literary Dig"},{"key":"bibr7-0967772017730014","first-page":"279","volume":"9","author":"Anon","year":"1905","journal-title":"American Medicine 22 February"},{"key":"bibr8-0967772017730014","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(00)65678-7"},{"key":"bibr9-0967772017730014","volume-title":"The fixed period","author":"Trollope T","year":"1993"},{"key":"bibr10-0967772017730014","unstructured":"The Baltimore Sun\n                      22 February 1905. This issue is unavailable but was referred to in Anon, Much Ado (op. cit. Ref. 7): 279\u2013280."},{"key":"bibr11-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. Are old men useless?\n                      The Baltimore Sun\n                      23 February 1905: 4."},{"key":"bibr12-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. Don\u2019t Agree with Osler.\n                      The New York Times\n                      24 February 1909: 1, 6, quotations on 6."},{"key":"bibr13-0967772017730014","unstructured":"The Baltimore Sun\n                      25\u201328 February 1905."},{"key":"bibr14-0967772017730014","unstructured":"The New York Times\n                      24 February\u20132 March 1905."},{"key":"bibr15-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. Was 71 and Shot Himself.\n                      The Baltimore Sun\n                      26 Feb 1905: 7."},{"key":"bibr16-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. Suicide had Osler Speech.\n                      The New York Times\n                      1 March 1905: 1."},{"key":"bibr17-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. A Pair of Jokes.\n                      The Baltimore Sun\n                      27 February 1905: 12."},{"key":"bibr18-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Guiterman A. Usefulness.\n                      The New York Times\n                      2 March 1905: 8."},{"key":"bibr19-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. If Dr. Osler had his way.\n                      Life Magazine 1883\u20131936\n                      . 9 March 1905: 287."},{"key":"bibr20-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Irwin W. We are chloroforming grandpa.\n                      Life Magazine 1883\u20131936\n                      . 30 March 1905: 347."},{"key":"bibr21-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Cushing H. (op. cit. Ref. 3), vol. 1: 669."},{"key":"bibr22-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Cushing H. (op. cit. Ref. 3), vol. 1: 674."},{"key":"bibr23-0967772017730014","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJM192004011821402"},{"key":"bibr24-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Bliss M. (op. cit. Ref. 4), quotation on 338\u2013339."},{"key":"bibr25-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. Prairie Dogs Act on Osler Principle.\n                      The New York Times\n                      22 March 1909: 12, quotation on 12."},{"key":"bibr26-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Burgess JK. Sir William Osler.\n                      The New York Times\n                      27 June 1911: 8."},{"key":"bibr27-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. (op. cit. Ref. 6.): 50."},{"key":"bibr28-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. Osler Writing Essay on Man\u2019s Crisis at 40.\n                      The New York Times\n                      25 February 1905: 5."},{"key":"bibr29-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Osler W. (op. cit. Ref. 8): 74."},{"key":"bibr30-0967772017730014","first-page":"113","volume":"76","author":"Dorland WAD","year":"1908","journal-title":"Century"},{"key":"bibr31-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Barlow N. The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, New York: W.W. Norton, 1969, pp. 100\u2013101."},{"key":"bibr32-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Davis JRA. Thomas H. Huxley, New York: EP Dutton, 1907, pp. 177\u2013177."},{"key":"bibr33-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Anon. Kelvin on Science. Interview: Utter Impracticability of Aeronautics & Favorable Opinion on Wireless.\n                      The Newark Advocate\n                      26 April 1902: 4."},{"key":"bibr34-0967772017730014","first-page":"558","volume":"8","author":"Brown L","year":"1932","journal-title":"Bull NY Ac Med"},{"key":"bibr35-0967772017730014","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/thx.37.4.246"},{"key":"bibr36-0967772017730014","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cellimm.2006.05.008"},{"key":"bibr37-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Osler W. The fixed period. In\n                      Aequanimitas with other addresses to medical students, nurses and practitioners of medicine\n                      , 2nd edn. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston\u2019s Son, 1906\/1932: 373\u2013394, quotation on 390."},{"key":"bibr38-0967772017730014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1515\/9780773592780","volume-title":"Bibliotheca Osleriana, a Catalogue of Books Illustrating the History of Medicine and Science","author":"Osler W","year":"1969","edition":"2"},{"key":"bibr39-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Osler W. Aequanimitas. In\n                      Aequanimitas\n                      (op. cit. Ref. 36): 3\u201311."},{"key":"bibr40-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Bliss M. (op cit. Ref. 4), quotation on 471."},{"key":"bibr41-0967772017730014","first-page":"270","volume":"20","author":"Edelstein L","year":"1946","journal-title":"Bull Hist Med"},{"key":"bibr42-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Osler W. L\u2019Envoi. In\n                      Aequanimitas\n                      (op. cit. Ref. 36): 447\u2013451, quotation on 450\u2013451."},{"key":"bibr43-0967772017730014","first-page":"248","volume-title":"An Alabama Student and Other Biographical Essays","author":"Osler W","year":"1908"},{"key":"bibr44-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Osler W. The master-word in medicine. In\n                      Aequanimitas\n                      (op. cit. Ref. 36): 349\u2013371, quotation on 357."},{"key":"bibr45-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Osler W. The army surgeon. In\n                      Aequanimitas\n                      (op. cit. Ref. 36): 97\u2013113, quotation on 104."},{"key":"bibr46-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Osler W. A Way of Life, Baltimore: Remington-Putnam Book Co., 1932, pp. 29\u201329."},{"key":"bibr47-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Edelstein L. (op cit. Ref. 40): 273, 278\u2013281."},{"key":"bibr48-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Bliss M. (op. cit. Ref. 4): 502."},{"key":"bibr49-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Burton R.\n                      The anatomy of melancholy\n                      , 4th edn. Oxford: Henry Cripp, 1632."},{"key":"bibr50-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Cushing H (op. cit. Ref. 3), vol. 2: 27."},{"key":"bibr51-0967772017730014","unstructured":"Burton R. (op. cit. Ref\n                      .\n                      46): 722."}],"container-title":["Journal of Medical Biography"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0967772017730014","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/0967772017730014","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/0967772017730014","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T23:25:33Z","timestamp":1777505133000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/0967772017730014"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,26]]},"references-count":51,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,11]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/0967772017730014"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0967772017730014","relation":{},"ISSN":["0967-7720","1758-1087"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0967-7720","type":"print"},{"value":"1758-1087","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,26]]}}}