Christopher Lyons, is the head librarian of rare books and special collections at McGill University’s McLennan Library. He was formerly in charge of McGill’s Osler Library which holds the collection of it’s founder, Sir William Osler (1849–1919). A major figure in modern medical history, Osler is “well known as a scientific researcher, a great medical pedagogue, a humanist, and an advocate for a patient-centered approach to medicine.”

“Born in Ontario and educated at McGill University…where he taught from 1874 until 1884 before leaving to join the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and then to become one of the “Big Four” founders of Johns Hopkins Hospital and medical school in Baltimore…he finished his career as Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford University, where he was also able to devote time to his passion for book collecting.” 

Chris and I met at his offices in Montreal to talk about Osler the medical book collector.