RCSI Heritage Collections

The Robert Smith that springs to a lot of people's minds when the words 'The Cure' are mentioned is probably this chap.... Being the blog of the RCSI Heritage Collections you can imagine that the lead singer of the 1980s gothic rock band is not who pops into our minds. Instead the man being referred to here is Robert William Smith, FRCSI. A surgeon so revered that his obituary from The Lancet on 8 November 1873 begins with the sentence 'Not Dublin only, but every medical school throughout the country has sustained a severe loss by the death of this able and highly accomplished pathologist'.   Robert William Smith was born in Dublin on 12 October 1807. His father died when Smith is still quite young but his mother, Isabella, went to great lengths to ensure her son's education. Smith began his medical studies in Trinity College Dublin graduating with a B.A in 1828 and an M.A in 1832. He continued his studies by being apprenticed to Richard Carmichael ...

Nowadays when you go in for a minor or major operation, there is no question over anaesthetic being used. That wasn't the case for patients until the 1840s, poor devils. Up until then the patient was, in some cases, restrained to stop them thrashing around and putting the surgeon off his work. If lucky the patient was given alcohol or opium to help ease the pain. In other cases a piece of wood or leather was given to bite down on or, if you were a soldier, a bullet. Illustration of a patient ready for surgery in the 16th century Taken from The History of Ophthalmology   On 16th October 1846 John Collins Warren undertook the first surgical operation using ether as an anaesthetic in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Less than three months later an Irish surgeon would carry out the first amputation under the influence of ether ever preformed in Ireland. John McDonnell, father of Robert McDonnell who has featured previously in this  blog , was born in Belfast o...

' 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...

It's fast approaching exactly 100 years since the start of the Great War. A war that saw numerous atrocities and millions die in battle. Large numbers of staff and students from the College went over to play their part in the effort to save some of these lives. One man, Professor of Surgery, at the time went and was lucky enough to return after the war in 1918. His name was George Jameson Johnston . George Jameson Johnston (1866 - 1926) Johnston was born in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, in April 1866. He attended the Royal School in his town before entering Trinity College. Even though he took his courses in Trinity Johnston chose to take his medical degrees from the Royal University. He was First of First Honourmen and First-class Exhibitioner at his B.A examination. He was also First Honourman in Anatomy and Prizeman in Midwifery in Trinity. Johnston, before and after qualification, conducted large private classes or what we would know as 'grinds' now. He graduate M....

The papers of Emily Winifred Dickson the first female Fellow of the RCSI have been fully catalogued and will soon be available for researchers to study.  Dickson  was born in Tyrone in 1866 to the Ulster Liberal MP Thomas A. Dickson and his wife Elizabeth. She was the second youngest of seven children and was educated at the Ladies Collegiate School in Belfast and Harold House School in London. In 1887 she enrolled in RCSI, where she was the only female medical student. The certificate below is a  RCSI first class certificate in Preliminary Education awarded to Emily Winifred Dickson on 19th October 1887. The certificate is signed by Anthony Corley, President and John Brennan, Registrar.  RCSI/IP/Dickson/1/1/1 RCSI/IP/Dickson/7/3 (Back) RCSI/IP/Dickson/7/3 (Front) The inscription reads  'Presented to Miss Winifred Dickson by Sir William Stokes and Professor Hamilton Professors of Surgery Session 1889-90' Dickson obtained...

The RCSI Heritage Collections are delighted to announce the arrival of its latest collection that of the Charitable Infirmary (Jervis Street Hospital) received from the Charitable infirmary Charitable Trust (CICT). The full and colourful history of the CICT can be found on their website http://www.cict.ie/history/  Mr. Peter McLean (1934-2010)  The Charitable Infirmary Collection made its way to the   Royal College of Surgeons through the foresight of one of   our past Presidents and member of the CICT Trust   Committee Mr. Peter McLean.   Mr. McLean studied at the RCSI, became a Fellow of the   College in 1962, a Council Member in 1984 and President   from 1996 to 1998. He interned in the Charitable Infirmary   in Jervis Street, worked as a consultant in there and in  Beaumont Hospital and sat on the CICT Trust Committee.  He had a passion f...