[William Osler and the 'chloroforming' of men over 60: a media outcry in 1905]

Sir William Osler (1849-1919) was one of the most charismatic physicians of his generation in the English-speaking world. In 1905, in a light-hearted farewell speech at the Johns Hopkins University before leaving for Oxford, U.K., he discussed the relative uselessness of men over 60. He facetiously referred to a novel in which men above this age retired for a year of contemplation, after which they were peacefully 'chloroformed'. Osler's words were reported out of context by American newspapers and he had to put up with much indignant protest.