RCSI Heritage Collections

Fully aware that the moment he died [John] Hunter would come for his body, [Charles] Byrne had concocted a plan designed to thwart him. As his friends leaned forward to hear his dying words, Byrne made them vow to seal his body in a lead coffin, ship it to the middle of the English Channel and plunge it to the bottom of the sea, far from the reach of even the most resourceful anatomist.  - The Knife Man ; Wendy Moore pg.313 Or so Charles Byrne thought!! Byrne was an Irish giant who had arrived in London in April 1782 to earn a living from showcasing his remarkable height of seven foot eight inches. But in doing so he caught the eye of the most renowned surgeon and anatomist of the time, John Hunter .  John Hunter (1728- 1793) painted by Sir Joshua Reynold in 1786. Note the long shin and foot bones in the top right corner! John Hunter was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland in and around 13 February 1728, his exact birth date isn't known. Hunter did...

As it is the Day of Love the Heritage Collections felt it right to tell you the tale of Robert (Robin) Adair. Adair was made one of the first Honorary Fellows of this College on 11 December 1784. Adair is believed to have been a native of Ballymena, Co. Antrim, and was studying medicine in Dublin in the late 1700s. While studying he got into some sort of a scrape. But with very little money and few friends Adair decided that his only option was to flee Dublin and head towards London. Adair arrived in Holyhead with no money to pay for passage to London so he began to walk. Robert (Robin) Adair He had not walked far when he came across a carriage that had been overturned on the bad road. The owner and occupier of the carriage was a well known society lady who had been slightly injured in the accident. Adair offered to help the lady and soon had the carriage righted and road-worthy again. Adair explained that he was a surgeon and offered to inspect the lady's injuries whic...