On Friday 29th November the College was delighted
to receive a donation of three Colles portraits (two of Abraham Colles, one of
Sophia Colles) from Mr. Michael Brooke and family in Australia.
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| Abraham Colles (1773-1843) |
Mr. Brooke’s family are descendants of Abraham’s fifth son, Richard. Richard was born in Dublin in 1818 and received his BA from Trinity College Dublin in 1841. After a decade at the English Bar he migrated to Australia taking up residence in Castlemaine, Victoria in 1852. Richard became Sheriff of Castlemaine and held that position for 35 years. He was close friends with the famous Australian explorer Robert Burke O’Hara (1820-1861). On his explorations of the Australian outback O’Hara named a mountain in the north-eastern corner of Queensland ‘Mt. Collis’ after his friend. O’Hara died in the outback near Cooper Creek in South Australia in 1861. Richard laid the foundation stone of the O’Hara memorial in Castlemaine 1862.
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| Sophia Colles, wife of Abraham Colles |
Richard married Frances Ann Wilmett in 1841 and they had 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. The large Colles vault can be found in the Daylesford Cemetery, Victoria, Australia where descendents of Richard Colles still reside today.
The Portraits donated by Mr. Brooke and his family are of
Richard’s father and mother, Abraham and Sophia Colles. Abraham was born in
Millmount, Co. Kilkenny in 1773.
Colles achieved amazing heights in his life
and medical career. Below is Colles’ Curriculum Vitae as listed in Martin
Fallon’s Abraham Colles 1773/1843
1780-1790 Educated at Mr.
William Lindsay’s Preparatory School, Kilkenny and at Kilkenny College.
1 Sept 1790 Entered Trinity College
Dublin
15 Sept
1790 Indentured to
Philip Woodroffe, Resident Surgeon at Dr. Steevens’ Hospital for his clinical training
1790-1795 Registered as pupil of
the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
April 1795 Graduated B.A from
Trinity
24 Sept
1795 Granted License
from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
1795-1797 In Edinburgh
June 1797 Graduated M.D from
Edinburgh University
June-Nov
1797 In London
Nov 1797 Returned to Dublin
1797-1799 In private practise
in Dublin. Taught anatomy and surgery privately
26 July
1799 Appointed
Resident Surgeon, Dr. Steevens’ Hospital
4 Nov 1799 Elected a Member of
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
6 Jan 1800 Elected an Assistant
at the College
5 Jan 1801 Elected a Censor of
the College
4 Jan 1802 Elected President of
the College
Oct 1803 Appointed Surgeon
to Cork Street Fever Hospital
4 Sept 1804 Appointed Prof of
Anatomy and Physiology and Prof of Surgery at the College
27 April
1807 Married Sophia,
daughter of Rev. Jonathan Cope, Rector of Ahascragh, Co. Galway
1811 Published
‘A Treatise on Surgical Anatomy’
29 Jan 1813 Appointed Assistant
Surgeon, Dr. Steevens’ Hospital
1814 Paper on ‘Fracture
of carpel extremity of radius’
1815 Paper on ‘The
operation of tying the subclavian artery’
22 Nov 1819 Appointed Governor
of Dr. Steevens’ Hospital
3 Nov 1820 Appointed Consulting Surgeon
to the Lying-In Hospital, Rotunda
1824 Published
Practical Precepts on Injuries of the
Head
Aug 1827 Resigned the Chair
of Anatomy and Physiology but retained the Chair of Surgery in the College
1830 Elected President of the College for the second time
1832 Graduated
M.A from Trinity College Dublin
19 Sept
1836 Resigned the
Chair of Surgery in the College
1837 Published
Practical Observations on the Venereal
Disease and on the use of Mercury
1838 Presented
with an Address by the College and also with a piece of silver plate. His
portrait by Martin Cregan, P.R.H.A and his sculptured bust by Kirk were placed
in the College
19 Aug 1841 Resigned appointment of
Assistant Surgeon at Dr. Steevens’ Hospital
1 Dec 1843 Died at his home, 21
St. Stephen’s Green, and was buried in Mount Jerome Cemetery
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| Sketch of Abraham Colles |
As well as being an outstanding surgeon Colles was an
outstanding teacher. He could skilful draw graphic images of diseases. He
recognised that as a clinical teacher he had shortcomings and would readily
admit to them in order to instruct his students. Colles’ publication ‘Treatise
on surgical Anatomy’ (1811) was the
first anatomical work designed on topographical lines. This earned Colles
several eponyms for his anatomical discoveries, examples being Colles’ fascia
and Colles’ ligament. The most widely known of these eponyms is the Colles’
fracture which was named after he published the paper ‘On the fracture of the
carpel extremity of the radius’ (1814). During his lifetime Colles was visited by doctors from all over the world. He is considered one of Ireland's great nineteenth century surgeons and one that made the surgical profession respectable in Ireland.
When Colles died medical schools suspended their classes and
he was given a public funeral. The President’s Office in the College is called the
Colles Room and has on display a number of paintings and personal items belonging
to Colles. It is amongst these that the portraits of Abraham and Sophia recently
donated by Mr. Michael Brooke and his family will find their home.
- Researched and written by Meadhbh Murphy
- Researched and written by Meadhbh Murphy