RCSI Heritage Collections

We are busily preparing for next week's Heritage Week so we thought you'd like to know what's in store! This years theme of 'It's in our Nature' fits in perfectly with one of our prized Heritage Collections, the RCSI Natural History Specimen Collection ! It comprises approximately 200 specimens across the disciplines of  zoology and biology and range in items such as frogs in glass jars preserved in formaldehyde, a duckbilled platypus 'prepared' by a past museum curator, a tiger skull donated by a prominent doctor and various incy wincy spiders picked up from all around the world. Why, do you ask, does a College of Surgeons hold such type of items?  It all started at the early stages of RCSI's history when in 1775, William Dease, one of the founding members of RCSI, presented a collection of anatomical preparations to RCSI. Using these preparations, the College decided to fit up a museum in RCSI's first building on Mercer Street. It had its ve...

Thomas Heazle Parke was the first Irishman to cross Africa. He accompanied the explorer Henry Morton Stanley in 1887 on his expedition to reach and free the besieged Emin Pasha. People in Dublin pass his statute everyday, which stands outside the Natural History Museum on Merrion Square and the majority would not know the achievements of this revered and extraordinary man from Leitrim. Statue of Thomas Heazle Parke outside the Natural History Museum, Dublin Parke was born in Clogher House, Kilmore, Co. Roscommon in 1857 and was the second son of William Parke and his wide Henrietta Holmes. He entered the RCSI in 1875 and took the LRCSI in 1878. He took the LKQCPI (Kings and Queen's College) the following year. He joined the Army Medical Department in 1881 when 23 years old and continued in service until the time of his death.  Parke was posted to Egypt in 1882 and served in all the Egyptian and Soudan campaigns; Tel-el-Kebir campaign 1882; Nile campaign 1884-1885; Metemnh; ...