RCSI Heritage Collections

Few doctors can have had so varied a career or experienced the triumphs and vicissitudes that were the lot of Kevin Izod O'Doherty. Izod was born in Gloucester Street, Dublin in 1823 and was one of four children. His father, William, was an attorney and died when Izod was only nine years old. After William's death the family moved from Gloucester Street to Blackrock and lived in the neighbourhood of Frascati House. John, one of Izod's brothers, became an attorney, William became a dentist and his sister Gertrude entered the Dominican Order. Izod set his sights on medicine. Ledwich School of Surgery and Medicine In 1842 he was apprenticed to Michael Donovan and studied at RCSI and the Ledwich School of Surgery and Medicine. Izod attended the Meath and St Vincent's Hospital and trained under Sir William Wilde at St Mark's Ophthalmic Hospital. He became involved with the Young Ireland movement and in June 1848 established the Irish Tribune with Richard D...

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...

Last week the RCSI Heritage Collections were involved in the recording of the brilliant The Book Show on RTÉ Radio 1  which will be aired this Saturday 20th December. The show is about the rise of Gothic novels and ghost stories. Sinead Gleeson, The Book Show presenter, discusses Edith Wharton's novel The Eyes with Dr. Ian Flitcroft, an eye surgeon at Temple Street Hospital and author of the short-listed People's Book Prize 2013 The Reluctant Cannibals .     To set the scene for The Eyes  the RCSI Heritage Collections pulled out a number of antique eye instruments and gave a brief description on how they were used. RCSI/MI/964 The instrument on the left is an eye retractor (RCSI/MI/964). This would have been used to pull and hold the overlying tissue out of the operating field. RCSI/MI/942 is an eye scoop. This would have been used after the removal of an eye to scoop out any of the remaining tissue. The instrument below is an eye speculum (RCSI/MI/...