RCSI Heritage Collections

We were at RCSI Heritage Collections could not let today pass without mentioning Abraham Colles.  Abraham Colles (1773-1843) Today 173 years ago Colles passed away at the age of 70 in his house, 21 St Stephen's Green. Abraham Colles was born in Milmount, Co. Kilkenny on 23 July 1773. Over the next 70 years he would come to dominate the world of surgery both in Ireland and around the world.  Colles entered TCD in September 1790 and received his B.A in April 1795. At the same time he registered in RCSI and was indentured to Philip Woodroffe. Colles received his ‘letters testimonial’ from RCSI in September 1795. That same year he travelled to Edinburgh where he devoted himself to furthering his medical studies. Colles' indenture to Philip Woodroffe, signed by both men  In June 1797 he graduated as Doctor of Medicine in Edinburgh and made his way London to take up his residence. By the winter of 1797, Colles was back in Dublin and had taken up his residence in Ch...

With the bicentenary of Sir William Wilde only around the corner, the RCSI Heritage Collections decided to look at another gifted eye and ear surgeon who lived, worked and taught in Dublin at the same time as Wilde. A major difference between these two characters was their levels of flamboyancy and it's because of this that Arthur Jacob is not as widely known as Wilde. Bust of Arthur Jacob by Joseph Robinson Kirk Arthur Jacob PRCSI 1837 and 1864 Arthur came from a medical family. His father, John, was Surgeon to Queen's County Infirmary and enjoyed a large practice while his grandfather, Michael, was also a surgeon. Arthur started his medical education be becoming indentured to his father in 1808. In 1811 he became a pupil of Abraham Colles in Steevens' Hospital. Like many other surgeons of the time, Arthur travelled to further his surgical knowledge. He went to the University of Edinburgh and graduated with an M.D. in 1814. The it was to London where he stud...

The Crampton Memorial Fountain This drinking fountain, which was located on the junction of College, D'Olier and Pearse Street, was erected in Sir Philip Crampton's honour in 1862. It was designed by Joseph Kirk, RHA, and was constructed of bronze, Aberdeen and Irish granite and black marble. It was 25 foot high and featured Indian water lillies, abacus (the water plant), dolphin's mouths, shells, a serpent, a saw, a heron, a pelican and a bust of Crampton himself. It was warmly referred to as 'The Cauliflower' or 'The Pineapple' by Dubliners. Quite a unique design and not to everyone's liking, as Sir Charles Cameron makes known in his History of the Royal College of Surgeon in Ireland  'A marble statue of Crampton from the master chisel of Foley, placed in the College Hall, would have been a more suitable memorial of him than the inartistic structure in College Street'. Why was Crampton given a memorial fountain, be it a weird looking o...

In April 1865 Mary Anne Dooley, a 14 year old girl, was brought to Jervis St. Hospital after an accident in the paper mill where she worked had left her right hand lacerated and torn. On duty was a respected and learned medical man who decided that in one last attempt to save the girl's life he would attempt the first ever human to human blood transfusion in Ireland. This man was Robert McDonnell. Robert McDonnell (1828-1889) McDonnell was a confident surgeon who came from a prominent medical family. His father, John McDonnell, had carried out the first amputation using ether as an inhalation anaesthetic in Ireland on New Years Day 1847 in the Richmond Hospital. So you can say Robert was definitely following in his father's first steps! Robert was born in 1828 in Dublin. He entered Trinity College Dublin in 1844 and was apprenticed to Richard Carmichael in November 1845. He graduated with B.A and M.B in 1850 and obtained his Licence from the RCSI in February 1851. Robert...

'For the purpose of demonstrating the destructive effect of firearms upon the human frame, Bully's Acre (a pauper's graveyard) gave up its cleverest treasures for the performance of the experiment. The subjects being placed with military precision along the wall, the lecturer entered with his pistol in hand, and levelling the mortiferous weapon at the enemy, magnanimously discharged several rounds, each followed by repeated bursts of applause. As soon as the smoke and approbation subsided, then came the tug-of-war. The wounded were examined, arteries were taken up, bullets were extracted, bones were set, and every spectator fancied himself on the field of battle, and looking upon Mr. Kirby as a prodigy of genius and valour for shooting dead men'.  - Erinensis Sketches of the Surgical Profession in Ireland No. IV Mr. Kirby, Lancet 1824 This quote caught our attention here in the RCSI Heritage Collections. So we decided to look further at this Mr. Kirby and what ...

' He [Sir Thomas Myles] attained enormous strength and was a  sufficiently skilled boxer to fight a few rounds with the  heavy-weight champion, John L. Sullivan. ' John L. Sullivan , aka the Boston Strong Boy, was quite the formidable opponent for a surgeon to step into the ring with. But Sir Thomas Myles was no ordinary surgeon.   Myles was born in Limerick on 20th April 1857 to a family long associated with that city. He began his school life in Limerick which with time took him to Trinity College Dublin, Vienna and the Richmond Hospital. Myles graduated from Trinity in 1881 with his M.B. and B.Ch. That same year he was chosen to be Resident Surgeon in Dr. Steevens' Hospital. Widdess tells us 'His magnificent physique and attainments as an amateur heavy-weight boxer were to sustain his in an arduous duty, which in addition to the other more usual ones, was imposed upon him by the Governors - to keep order amongst the resident pupils.'  Sir Tho...

On Friday 29 th November the College was delighted to receive a donation of three Colles portraits (two of Abraham Colles, one of Sophia Colles) from Mr. Michael Brooke and family in Australia. Abraham Colles (1773-1843) Mr. Brooke’s family are descendants of Abraham’s fifth son, Richard. Richard was born in Dublin in 1818 and received his BA from Trinity College Dublin in 1841. After a decade at the English Bar he migrated to Australia taking up residence in Castlemaine, Victoria in 1852. Richard became Sheriff of Castlemaine and held that position for 35 years. He was close friends with the famous Australian explorer Robert Burke O’Hara (1820-1861). On his explorations of the Australian outback O’Hara named a mountain in the north-eastern corner of Queensland ‘Mt. Collis’ after his friend. O’Hara died in the outback near Cooper Creek in South Australia in 1861. Richard laid the foundation stone of the O’Hara memorial in Castlemaine 1862.  Sophia Colles, wife of A...

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 pu...

William Dease (1752-1798)       The impressive, whole-length seated statue facing the entrance door in the front hall of the College, represents William Dease (1752-1798) one of the founders of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He was the College's first Professor of Surgery and it's President in 1789. The sculptor was Sir Thomas Farrell, RHA. It was presented by the subject's grandson, Matthew O'Reilly Dease. It was unveiled by the Countess of Aberdeen at an afternoon ceremony on 27th April 1886. William Dease was born in Lisney, Co. Cavan, in 1752 to a landed family which had suffered through support of the Stuart cause. He received his professional education in Dublin and Paris, settling in Dublin he soon attained a good practice. He was surgeon to the United Hospitals of St. Nicolas and St. Catherine, in Francis Street, which in 1766 had forty beds and 5 elected surgeons. Dease was an original member of the Dublin Society for Surgeons. A successful pr...

On Friday 10th May the RCSI Heritage Collections were paid a visit by Ms. Heather Elliott and her mother Mrs. Roma Peare. Mrs. Peare gifted a silver center piece given to Thomas Lewis Mackesy (1790-1869) by his medical brethren on 6th June 1864 to the College in 2007. The piece was in Mrs. Peare's family for generations with her husband being a distant relation of Thomas Mackesy. Thomas Lewis Mackesy (1790-1869) Thomas Lewis Mackesy was born in Waterford in 1790. His father was an apothecary and his mother was a Miss Lewis. He was apprenticed to his father and saw a good deal of practice at the Leper Hospital in Waterford. Mackesy came to Dublin and was prepared in twelve months for the office of assistant-surgeon in the army. He served for seven years in the artillery and was present when the British were repulsed at Guadeloupe  If it wasn't for his running speed and agility he would most certainly have been ...

The Corleys holidaying in Peel on the Isle of Man in 1901 The photograph on the left is believed to show the wife of Dr. Anthony Hagerty Corley (RCSI President 1887) and her children enjoying the sunshine at the traditional Corley holiday spot of Peel on the Isle of Man. It was sent to the Heritage Collections by a distant relative of Dr. Corley's, Dr. John Richards from the University of Glasgow.  Dr. Anthony Hagerty Corley was born in Dublin on the 16 th March 1840. Corley’s professional training took place in the Ledwich School of Medicine, the Queen’s College, Galway, the Mercer and Adelaide Hospitals. He became a Licentiate of the RCSI in 1861 and graduated M.D . from Queen’s University Galway in 1863. Dr. Corley’s career flourished with lecturing positions in Anatomy and Surgery in the Carmichael College of Medicine; becoming a Fellow of the RCSI in 1863; surgeon to the House of Industry Hospitals in 1865 and surgeon of Jervis Stree...