Aequanimitas

I came across an essay written by the 19th century physician William Osler with a Latin title ("Aequanimitas").  Dr. Osler was one of the "Big Four" founders of Johns Hopkins Hospital and is often called the "Father of Modern Medicine" for his many contributions to the profession.  Someone once called him "one of the greatest diagnosticians ever to wield a stethoscope."  He was an author, a historian, and best of all (in my mind), a lover of books!  

Dr. Osler was born in Canada and attended medical school at the Toronto School of Medicine and McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal.  He trained with the famous physician Rudolph Virchow in Germany before returning to McGill University as a faculty member in 1874.  He apparently started the first journal club there (still used in academic medicine today), and he left McGill to become Chair of Clinical Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1885.  He left Penn to help found Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1889, and "Aequanimitas" was his farewell address delivered to the graduating medical class at Penn.

"Aequanimitas" was first published as a pamphlet in 1889 and later appeared in a collection of Osler's essays entitled Aequanimitas with Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and Practitioners of Medicine in 1904.  The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Company apparently gave away more than 150,000 copies of the book to medical school graduates from 1932 to 1953.

The word aequanimitas is the Latin word for equanimity and refers to staying calm and composed.  Osler advocates two essential qualities for physicians in the essay, imperturbability and equanimity, which he defined as coolness and presence of mind under all circumstances.  The medical ethicist Daniel Sokol suggested in a 2007 British Medical Journal article suggests that the essay answers the age old question, "What makes a good doctor?"

I think it's appropriate that Dr. Osler begins his essay with a quote from the ancient Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius, "Thou must be like a promontory of the sea, against which, though the waves beat continually, yet it both itself stands, and about it are those swelling waves stilled and quieted."  While I am not completely certain, I would bet that Dr. Osler was a Stoic too!  Stoicism emphasizes both imperturbability (unable to get upset or overly excited) and equanimity (mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation).  These are the qualities that Dr. Osler highly valued in a physician.  Importantly, this did not mean that physicians shouldn't be emotionally detached from their patients and uncaring.  Instead he emphasizes that stillness and calm will foster confidence and trust by a physician's patients. 

I think imperturbability and equanimity apply to leadership too.  When everything is falling apart, a true leader is defined by their ability to stay calm amidst the storm.  The best leader in a crisis is one who can embrace the chaos and guide their team through uncertainty.  Calmness and stillness will foster confidence and trust.  Calmness and stillness are also contagious.  When the other members of the team see a leader who is calm and composed, they too will respond with calmness and composure.

I will end this post with two quotes by two great leaders who also led during times of chaos, uncertainty, and crisis.  Winston Churchill said, "Difficulties mastered are opportunities won."  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."  Aequanimitas.