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| RCSI British Isles Intervarsity Boxing Team |
'British Isles intervaristy championships in London 10th January 1950.
Centre - Tommy Burns Trainer (a Golden Gloves Champion)
Professor A.K.Henry 5th Rt. Top Row (who started the Boxing Club)'
Arnold Kirkpatrick Henry was an astonishing man with a varied and coloured medical career. He was born in 1886 and received his early eduction in Trent, England. He then came to study in Trinity College Dublin graduating in 1911 with a M.B, B.Ch, and B.A.O. He became a Fellow f RCSI in 1914 and soon afterwards went off to play his part in the First World War. Henry, with his surgeon wife acting as his assistant, served as a surgeon with the Serbian army. When Germany overran Serbia in 1916 the Henry's escaped and fled back to Britain. For his distinguished service he was awarded the Order of St. Sava by the Serbian Government.
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| A.K Henry (1886-1962) |
Henry didn't stay idle long and joined the Royal Army Medical Corps serving for a time in India. From 1917 to 1919 he held the position of médecin-majeur in the French Army Medicals Service and was made Chevalier de la L'egion d'Honneur by the French Government.
After he service in the war he returned to Dublin and joined the staff of the Richmond Hospital. Henry became editor of the Irish Journal of Medical Science where his literary skills shone. In 1925 he was appointed Professor of Surgery in the University of Cairo. Henry held this post for 11 years and received numerous awards for his service in Egypt.
Henry returned to England taking up a teaching post in the Postgraduate Medical School in Hammersmith, London. In 1947 Henry was appointed Professor of Anatomy in the College. A position he held until his retirement in 1959.
Henry was renowned and respected internationally in the field of surgical anatomy. His best known literary work was Extensile Exposure which dealt with surgical approaches to limb surgery and was published in 1927. It is considered a classic and authoritative work. Henry was also popular with the medical students in the College.He took a lively interest in their activities and instituted the canteen in the College which still bares his name. Henry also had a love of all things boxing and as we learnt from the photo above set up the RCSI Boxing Club.
But who are the other fearsome yet dapper fighters in the photo?
Do you know? Are you one?
Please contact RCSI Heritage Collections if you recognise anyone in the photo as we would love to know.
- Researched and written by Meadhbh Murphy