"To study the phenomena of disease without books is to sail an uncharted sea, while to study books without patients is not to go to sea at all"
- William Osler
About this Quote
This quote by William Osler is a pointer of the relevance of both useful experience and also academic understanding when it comes to studying the phenomena of disease. Osler is recommending that without books, one is sailing an uncharted sea, as they lack the academic expertise to recognize the sensations of condition. Nonetheless, without practical experience, or patients, one is not mosting likely to sea at all. This implies that without useful experience, one can not gain a full understanding of the sensations of disease. Osler is emphasizing the importance of both academic knowledge and useful experience when it pertains to studying the phenomena of illness. He is suggesting that without both, one can not get a complete understanding of the phenomena of illness. This quote serves as a suggestion of the importance of both theoretical expertise and functional experience when it comes to examining the phenomena of condition.