National Therapist Day in Colombia

This July 12 is a very special day for doctors who practice internal medicine in Colombia. The date coincides with the birthday of Sir William Osler, the father of the specialty. It is an initiative of the Colombian Association of Internal Medicine - ACMI.

Osler began his medical studies at the University of Toronto and finished them at McGill University. In 1872, at the age of 22, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery. He went first to England and then to Germany and Austria, to specialize in physiology, embryology, pediatrics and dermatology, he performed clinical practice in the most prestigious hospitals in Europe, which allowed him to train as an exceptional professor. In 1884 he became professor of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and by 1899 he was teaching at John Hopkins University.

He helped design the curriculum that integrated hospital training with medical studies: the current structure of medical training is based on the innovations he introduced at John Hopkins University. He wrote The Principles and Practice of Medicine (1892), one of the leading and most influential textbooks in the field of internal medicine.