RCSI Heritage Collections

On Monday 6 th April O’Connell Street will be transported back in time to 1915 when Dubliners were fighting a war in foreign lands and another was soon to erupt on their streets. What were the living conditions like for these city dwellers a century ago? What medical instruments were being used to carry out surgical procedures? RSCI Heritage Collections will be on hand at RTÉ’s Road to the Rising event to shed some light on these and other medical archive questions.  Advertisements from the Medical Directory of 1915 Advertisements from the Medical Directory of 1915 Advertisements from the  Medical Directory of 1915 Copies of the Medical Directory will be available to consult, advertisements from the early 1900s will be on view and medical instruments will be on display. Sir Charles Cameron, President of RCSI 1885-1886, was Public Health Officer for Dublin in the early 1900s. He published meticulous annual reports on the sanitation, housing and public...

St. Patrick banishing snakes from Ireland Image courtesy of Jim Fitzpatrick As snakes are associated with medicine through the Rod of Asclepius the RCSI Heritage Collections thought it apt to have a picture of snakes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, even if they are getting banished! Asclepius , a deity associated with healing and medicinal arts in Greek mythology, is depicted in ancient statues, pottery and coins with snakes and the staff. Because of this association a particular type of non-venomous snake was often used in healing rituals by the ancients. These snakes crawled freely on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept.  Illustration of the Rod of Asclepius. Aphorisms of Hippocrates dated to 1571. The snake and staff symbol can be seen clearly. Image courtesy of  John P. McGovern Historical Collection If Asclepius is the 'god of medicine' than Hippocrates is the 'father of med...

     As the snow falls and the wind makes it feel like the Arctic outside, the idea of a warm fire in a lovely fireplace is on many people's minds. E specially  ours! So imagine our delight when we heard that there was a Bossi fireplace in the President's Office in the College. Beautiful Pietro Bossi fireplace   Pietro Bossi, an Italian craftsman believed to be from the Lombardy region in Northern Italy, came to Dublin in the 1780s.  Bossi is understood to have been brought to Ireland by Lord Clanricarde to carry out stucco and scagliola work for him. Scagliola is a technique of producing works that have been inlaid with marble, semi-precious stones and coloured paste. Bossi stayed in Dublin from 1785 to 1798 producing fireplaces and tables in the Neo-classical design. He is believed to have produced stucco work for the Earl of Aldborough, Baronscourt Estate , Co. Tyrone and Charlemont House also known as the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin. Detail ...