Sir William Osler is one of the most admired and honored physicians in the history of medicine. He has frequently been described as the Father of Modern Medicine and one of the “greatest diagnosticians ever to wield a stethoscope”. Aequanimitas: With Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and Practitioners of Medicine was one of Sir William Osler’s most famous essays, delivered to new doctors in 1889 as his farewell address at the Pennsylvania School of Medicine. It details his thoughts on what it takes to thrive in an intellectually demanding medical field.
I quote here a piece of advice I find particularly inspring. This is from chapter 18 of the book.
Let each hour of the day have its allotted duty, and cultivate that power of concentration which grows with its exercise, so that the attention neither flags nor wavers, but settles with bull-dog tenacity on the subject before you. Constant repetition makes a good habit fit easily in your mind, and by the end of the session you may have gained that most precious of all knowledge—the power of work. Do not underestimate the difficulty you will have in wringing from your reluctant selves the stern determination to exact the uttermost minute on your schedule. Do not get too interested in one study at the expense of another, but so map out your day that due allowance is given to each.
Well, that’s enough then.