RCSI Heritage Collections

This being the day of Samhain, when the doorways to the Otherworld open allowing spirits and the dead to come back to our world for one night, I thought a ghost story would be most appropriate. Dr. Richard Carmichael was born on 6th February 1776 in Bishop Street in Dublin. He began his studies in the RCSI under the indenture of Robert Moore Peile in 1794. On the 15th September 1795 at the tender age of 20 he passed the College examinations qualifying him to act as a surgeon's mate. In May 1803 he became a Licentiate of the College and was elected a member that November. Carmichael became President of the College for the first time in 1813 at the age of 34. Dr. Richard Carmichael (1776-1849) Carmichael went on to have an eminent career being appointed to such positions as Surgeon to St. George's Hospital and Dispensary in 1803; Surgeon to the House of Industry Hospitals in 1816; President of the RCSI for a second time in 1826; running his own very successful practice

As many of you may have seen while walking around the city last weekend, a number of buildings were lit up red in honour of Bram Stoker. The people at the Bram Stoker Festival, which ran from the 26th to 28th October 2013, wanted to highlight the many buildings that had some connection to Bram, his family and his writings. The College was lit a beautiful shade of red in reference to Bram's most famous literary work Dracula.  123 Stephens Green light up in honour of Bram Stoker Bram's brother, William Thornley Stoker was a graduate of the RCSI and become President in 1894-1896. A detailed account of his life can be found on the Royal College of Physicians recent blog post http://rcpilibrary.blogspot.ie/2013/10/real-and-imaginary-medics-in-life-of.html Having such a skilled and prominent surgeon as a brother it is easy to see how Bram could have drawn inspiration from Thornley for his writings. But Bram's other brother's could also have fed his creative mind.

During the summer the College was delighted to acquire an exquisite Irish Arts and Crafts Freedom Box that was presented to Sir Charles Cameron (RCSI President 1885-1886) to house the Freedom of the City scroll he had been awarded by Dublin Corporation in 1910. The rectangular box is quite large and heavy as it is made from brass, copper, coloured marble and semi-precious stones. Sir Charles Cameron Freedom Box presented to him in 1910  Hidden inside is a compartment that is released by pressing a concealed lock. Housed within this compartment is the beautifully illuminated silk-mounted scroll which still retains its splendid bright colours.  The extract from the scroll below records Cameron’s devotion to the people and city of Dublin as their Public Health Advisor That almost half a century of devoted exertion on his part to the extermination of diseases and everything inimical to public health within the City has resulted in a courageous and efficient public heal