---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Patients rarely die of the disease from…"
description: "\"Patients rarely die of the disease from which they suffer. Secondary or terminal infections are the real cause of death.\" — William Osler"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/william-osler-2992_causes_patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from_2325236.png"
---

#  Patients rarely die of the disease from which they suffer…

![“Patients rarely die of the disease from which they suffer. Secondary or terminal infections are the real cause of death.” quote by William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/william-osler-2992_causes_patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from_2325236.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/william-osler-2992_causes_patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from_2325236.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/william-osler-2992_causes_patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from_2325236.png)

> “Patients rarely die of the disease from which they suffer. Secondary or terminal infections are the real cause of death.”

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Notes that patients often die from secondary infections rather than primary disease.

**In simple terms:** Deaths often due to infections, not disease itself.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize infection control in treatment.

Themes

medicine patient care clinical observation

Mood

clinical analytical

Type

clinical educational

When to use this quote

- hospital settings
- post‑operative care
- elderly care

Key Concepts

pathophysiology public health

Questions to Reflect On

- How can modern practice reduce infection mortality?
- What preventive measures are most effective?

A Different Perspective

Limited by historical medical knowledge.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cause Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cause-death/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Infection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infection/) [Infections Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infections-real-5573362/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Patient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patient/) [Patients Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patients-rarely-5573361/) [Rarely Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rarely-die-1476823/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Terminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terminal/) [Terminal Infections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terminal-infections-5573360/)

## Related quotes

> [With terminal illness, your fate is sealed. Morally, we're more comfortable with a situation where you don't cause death, but you hasten it. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-caplan/with-terminal-illness-your-fate-is-sealed-morally-we-re-more/)

[Arthur Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-caplan/)

> [“MacKensie, much as men don't like to share this fact, we rarely die from not getting off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherise-sinclair/mackensie-much-as-men-don-t-like-to-share-this-fact-we-rarely-die/)

[Cherise Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherise-sinclair/)

> [“Although humans rarely die from trauma, if we do not resolve it, our lives can be severely diminished by its effects. Some people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-a-levine/although-humans-rarely-die-from-trauma-if-we-do-not-resolve-it-our/)

[Peter A. Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-a-levine/)

> [“People rarely die from love, but they are frequently born from it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-shishkin/people-rarely-die-from-love-but-they-are-frequently-born-from-it/)

[Mikhail Shishkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-shishkin/)

> [Companies rarely die from moving too fast, and they frequently die from moving too slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/companies-rarely-die-from-moving-too-fast-and-they-frequently-die/)

[Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/)

> [People rarely die from heroin alone, it's the combination that's deadly. Maybe we should blast that out as a public health education message. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hart/people-rarely-die-from-heroin-alone-it-s-the-combination-that-s/)

[Carl Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hart/)

> [Overweight and obesity is the second leading cause of death, killing 300,000 people a year, There is not a miracle pill that will lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/overweight-and-obesity-is-the-second-leading-cause-of-death-killing/)

[Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/)

> [The humans create life, and senselessly cause death. For nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/the-humans-create-life-and-senselessly-cause-death-for-nothing/)

[Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/)

> [We certainly do have to be realistic about where we stand. It is the case that cancer is the second-leading cause of deaths in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-jacks/we-certainly-do-have-to-be-realistic-about-where-we-stand-it-is-the/)

[Tyler Jacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-jacks/)

> [“When we die our argument dies with us. The argument we never articulated well enough, that we were failed by our parents, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/when-we-die-our-argument-dies-with-us-the-argument-we-never/)

[Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/)

> [“Suicide is now the leading cause of death for US service members and veterans, far outstripping combat-related deaths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-hoffman/suicide-is-now-the-leading-cause-of-death-for-us-service-members-and/)

[Cara Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-hoffman/)

> [...the most common cause of death among alpha males was ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/the-most-common-cause-of-death-among-alpha-males-was-ego/)

[Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/)

> [“Suicide is the leading cause of death among Korean youths, and given the country’s educational culture and the pressure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tudor/suicide-is-the-leading-cause-of-death-among-korean-youths-and-given/)

[Daniel Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tudor/)

> [Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death during the last half-century. The trend is getting even worse as the average life span increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasuku-honjo/cancer-has-been-the-no-1-cause-of-death-during-the-last-half-century/)

[Tasuku Honjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasuku-honjo/)

> [I think I might actually die of showing off. It'll be on my headstone - 'Cause of Death: Showing Off.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-think-i-might-actually-die-of-showing-off-it-ll-be-on-my-headstone/)

[Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/)

## More by William Osler

> [As it can be maintained that all the great advances have come from men under forty, so the history of the world shows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/as-it-can-be-maintained-that-all-the-great-advances-have-come-from/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [No man is really happy or safe without a hobby ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/no-man-is-really-happy-or-safe-without-a-hobby/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [But whatever you do, take neither yourselves nor your fellow-creatures too seriously. There is tragedy enough in our daily routine, but there is room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/but-whatever-you-do-take-neither-yourselves-nor-your-fellow-creatures/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [Without egotism and full of feeling, laughter is the music of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/without-egotism-and-full-of-feeling-laughter-is-the-music-of-life/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [The librarian of today, and it will be true still more of the librarians of tomorrow, are not fiery dragons interposed between the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-librarian-of-today-and-it-will-be-true-still-more-of-the/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-best-preparation-for-tomorrow-is-to-do-today-s-work-superbly-well/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [Throw away all ambition beyond that of doing the day's work well. The travelers on the road to success live in the present, heedless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/throw-away-all-ambition-beyond-that-of-doing-the-day-s-work-well-the/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [The very first step towards success in any occupation is to become interested in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-very-first-step-towards-success-in-any-occupation-is-to-become/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-trained-nurse-has-become-one-of-the-great-blessings-of-humanity/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [He who studies medicine without books sails an uncharted sea, but he who studies medicine without patients does not go to sea at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/he-who-studies-medicine-without-books-sails-an-uncharted-sea-but-he/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [In seeking absolute truth we aim at the unattainable and must be content with broken portions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/in-seeking-absolute-truth-we-aim-at-the-unattainable-and-must-be/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [Shed, as you do your garments, your daily sins, whether of omission or commission, and you will wake a free man, with a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/shed-as-you-do-your-garments-your-daily-sins-whether-of-omission-or/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [He who knows syphilis knows medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/he-who-knows-syphilis-knows-medicine/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [Laughter is the music of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/laughter-is-the-music-of-life/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

> [Beware of people who call you 'Doc.' They rarely pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/beware-of-people-who-call-you-doc-they-rarely-pay-their-bills/)

[William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

[Explore all 143 William Osler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/)

## More Causes quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

> [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/)

[Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/)

> [Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. Well, roll my breakfast cause I'm a hungry man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-joe-turner/get-out-from-that-kitchen-and-rattle-those-pots-and-pans-well-roll-my/)

[Big Joe Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-joe-turner/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [God hides Himself behind causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rollin/god-hides-himself-behind-causes/)

[Charles Rollin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rollin/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [I don't wear rubbers cause you can't catch it twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-norton/i-don-t-wear-rubbers-cause-you-can-t-catch-it-twice/)

[Jim Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-norton/)

> [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-brown/well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-was-like-how-she-is-now-when/)

[Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-brown/)

> [I love a lot of things, a whole lot of things / Like / My cousin comes to visit and you know he's from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloise-greenfield/i-love-a-lot-of-things-a-whole-lot-of-things-like-my-cousin-comes-to/)

[Eloise Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloise-greenfield/)

> [Many companies have long contended that stress in the home causes productivity loss in the market place.. and it does. But research now reveals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/many-companies-have-long-contended-that-stress-in-the-home-causes/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/)

[Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/)

[Browse all 9,070 Causes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Patients rarely die of the disease from which they suffer. Secondary or terminal infections are the real cause of death.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Osler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from-which-they-suffer-secondary/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Causes"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from-which-they-suffer-secondary/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/william-osler-2992_causes_patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from_2325236.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/william-osler-2992_causes_patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from_2325236.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81b/william-osler-2992_causes_patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from_2325236.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Patients rarely die of the disease from which they suffer. Secondary or terminal infections are the real…” — William Osler",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "William Osler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Patients rarely die of the disease...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from-which-they-suffer-secondary/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/patients-rarely-die-of-the-disease-from-which-they-suffer-secondary/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
