RCSI Heritage Collections marked the ‘12 Days of Christmas’ by closely looking at the 12 images depicted in our George Walsh stained glass windows, found in the Albert Theatre at 123 St Stephen's Green.
George Walsh apprenticed under his father, who had studied under Harry Clarke, and so our windows follow in a Dublin stained glass tradition. Each image depicts a significant person, event or invention that changed the world of healthcare. Each day, we posted an image and a fact on our Twitter and Facebook accounts. Below, we elaborate a little on those images.
On the first day of Christmas...
On the second day of Christmas...
On the third day of Christmas...
On the fourth day of Christmas...
On the fifth day of Christmas...
On the sixth day of Christmas...
On the seventh day of Christmas...
On the eighth day of Christmas...
On the ninth day of Christmas...
On the tenth day of Christmas...
On the eleventh day of Christmas...
On the twelfth day of Christmas...
And last but not least, we can finally reveal the entire stained glass window in all it's glory!!
Imhotep 2850 BC
Did you know that ancient Egyptians were practicing a recognisable form of pharmacy and medicine as early as 1500 BC? The first day's stained glass feature depicts the Egyptian God ‘IMHOTEP’, deified approximately 2850 BC, known as the Ancient Father of Medicine. In Egyptian society during the Old Kingdom, the nation’s physician and Pharaoh’s magician appear to be one in the same job. Imhotep is also widely credited with being the architect of the step pyramid, as shown in the stained glass.
On the second day of Christmas...
Vesalius Anatomy 1543
On the second day of Christmas we presented to you ‘Vesalius Anatomy, 1543’. RCSI Library holds a 1555 copy of his De Humani Corporis Fabrica. It is considered a masterpiece in both anatomy and art. Upon graduating, Vesalius lectured in Italy and travelled throughout with the future Pope Paul IV and Ignatius of Loyola to assist those afflicted by Hansen’s disease (leprosy). Incidentally, the first building at what is now Mercer’s Hospital was St. Stephen’s Chapel, which was in existence from about 1230 but had been converted into a Lazar House (Leper Hospital) by 1394.
On the third day of Christmas...
Dentistry
Eaten too many sweets over the Christmas? On the third day of Christmas we showed you who you should go to now if you have: the Dentist! Dentistry in some form has been practiced since ancient times and today is considered a very important element to the healthcare world. The RCSI Faculty of Dentistry was founded in 1963. A startling statistic for Ireland is that in the late 1970s approximately 30% of the population over the age of 18 had no remaining natural teeth. That figure is now 6% and decreasing.
On the fourth day of Christmas...
Harvey Circulation 1628
We hope you got out for some fresh air to get the blood pumping again over the break! On the fourth day of Christmas we brought you William Harvey’s discovery in 1628 of how our blood circulates. Previously, most physicians agreed that the lungs moved blood around the body. Harvey, after dissecting hearts, experimenting with arteries, and observing blood transmission, “began privately to think that it might rather have a certain movement, as it were, in a circle...” , i.e. circulation.
On the fifth day of Christmas...
Colles 1802
On the fifth day of Christmas we brought you a tribute to a former RCSI President, Abraham Colles (1802). His Treatise on Surgical Anatomy of 1811 earned him a few eponyms including one for the ‘Colles’ fracture.’ Colles reorganised the teaching of anatomy at the College and his students were reportedly fans of the regional dissections. He also devoted a lot of research to the treatment of prominent venereal diseases of the day.
On the sixth day of Christmas...
Laennec Stethoscope 1819
On the sixth day of Christmas we gave you René Laennec’s Stethoscope. Invented in 1816, by simply rolling up a quire of paper, this invention pioneered its use in diagnosing various chest conditions. Nowadays, this instrument may be the one tool common to all doctors. In RCSI Heritage Collections, we house an extensive collection of medical instruments by over 50 different makers from Ireland, Britain and Europe. Currently a new display of some of our historical instruments is on view in '1784' restaurant in the basement of 123 SSG.
On the seventh day of Christmas...
Anaesthetics Morton 1846
On the seventh day of Christmas (and final of the year) my true love sent to me... some surgical anaesthetic. William T G Morton, an American dentist, was the first to publicly demonstrate in 1846 the use of inhaled ether as an anaesthetic. Irish surgeons were among the first to fully appreciate the value of ether. Indeed, an Irish born surgeon practising in America, Crawford Long, claimed to have pre-empted Morton. His claim was later championed by Dublin surgeon and RCSI Alumnus, George Mahood Foy. In 1889, Foy published the first Irish book on subject- ‘Anaesthethics, Ancient and Modern’.
On the eighth day of Christmas...
Lister Antiseptic 1867
On the eighth day of Christmas we introduced you to Joseph Lister, a British Surgeon who was the pioneer of antiseptic surgery. In 1846, by choosing dressing soaked with carbolic acid to cover the wound, the rate of infection was vastly reduced. Following on from the previous window, it is held that the introduction of anaesthesia in 1846 actually lent urgency to the development of antiseptics. Amputations, for example, were more commonplace in the 1800s and ether permitted even more complicated and lengthy surgical operations, which increased the likelihood of infection.
On the ninth day of Christmas...
Nursing
On the ninth day of Christmas, RCSI Heritage Collections paid homage to the world of nursing. Although it predates the mid-19th century, the history of professional nursing traditionally begins with Florence Nightingale (1860). The inauguration of the Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery took place at RCSI on 30 October 1974 under the leadership of Ms Mary Frances Crowley, whose picture hangs on display in the 123 SSG. On the Dean’s Medal, eight stars represent the essential qualities of leadership: Knowledge, Wisdom, Responsibility, Coordination, Conciliation, Cooperation, Availability and Prudence.
On the tenth day of Christmas...
Radiology Roentgen 1895
On the tenth day of Christmas we told you of the first case of radiology carried out by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen. After weeks of experimentation with cathode ray tubes, Roentgen carried out the first radiographic image. The rays were unknown to him so he called them X-rays. The first image he ever produced was of his wife’s hand, with her wedding ring clearly visible. Before the potential harm from X-rays was recognised, machines were popping up in theatrical shows and fairs. Later, of course, the same damaging qualities were turned towards fighting skin diseases and cancers.
On the eleventh day of Christmas...
Penicillin Fleming 1828
On the eleventh day of Christmas we gave you Alexander Fleming’s simple but vital discovery of the antibiotic substance Penicillin (1928) for which he received a Noble Prize in Physiology or Medicine. We are all familiar with the story of Fleming returning from holiday to his petri dishes (containing colonies of Staphylococcus) and finding one had blob of mould growing in it. Later identified as a rare strain of penicillium notatum, the mould had a created a clearing in the bacterial growth. Thus, by the 1940s, the era of antibiotics was well underway.
On the twelfth day of Christmas...
Renal Transplantation Murray 1954
On the 12th Day of Christmas (and last!) we gave you the image on our stained glass window paying homage to the first Kidney Transplant carried out by Dr Joseph Murray, an American surgeon, on identical twins in Massachusetts (1954). It was performed without any immunosuppressive medication, but because the twins were identical the kidney was not rejected. 2017 saw a record 308 organ transplants carried out in Ireland, with a substantial increase in live kidney donors in the state.
As we enter 2018, we may well wonder what events, discoveries and inventions are on the horizon. Wishing a Happy New Year to all our readers.