RCSI Heritage Collections

One of the nicest aspects of working in Heritage Collections is the people that we meet along the way. Be it in person in our reading room in Mercers building, reading about them in an 18th century letter or coming across them in a snapshot of time in a sepia coloured photograph. We are always meeting people!  Last month we were fortunate enough to meet the Moorhead family- Cari, Susan and Peter, who had got in touch with us earlier on this year with the view of donating a very unique and interesting piece of surgical equipment. The piece was a set of surgical tools encased in a solid wooden box with the engraving: Thomas J Crean Surgeon Imperial Light Horse 1899 The name on the engraving is quite a familiar one here in RCSI. Born in Dublin in 1873 Thomas Crean studied in Clongowes College and completed his medical studies in RCSI gaining his Licentiateship in 1896 and his Fellowship in 1902. He then went on to have a successful and active career in the British Army as a soldier an...

One hundred years ago today British Army soldiers were waiting nervously and fearfully in the trenches they had dug along the River Somme in France. At 7.30am their officers blew their whistles and over 100,000 soldiers entered the hell that would become known as the Battle of the Somme . Getting ready to go over the top Courtesy of Scott Addington Large numbers of students and staff from RCSI were at the Battle of the Somme having enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). They hoped their surgical and medical skills could help in the treatment of their fellow wounded and injured soldiers. Two RCSI students that were present at the Battle of the Somme were George Evans, born 1891 in Kerry, and John Power, born 1892 in Clare. Both Evans and Power had not completed their surgical education but felt the need to do their bit for the War Effort. Unfortunately neither lived to complete their studies as they died in the final months of the battle. Evans was buried in Delville...

The wealth of historical, societal and cultural information you can gather from newspapers is immense. Not only do newspapers report on major incidents of global importance, but the local and bizarre are also included. RCSI Heritage Collections have a newspaper collection made up of scrapbooks with articles relating to the College which date from the 1880s. Some very odd articles have been included in these scrapbooks that don't really relate to the College. One of these can be seen below. It was taken from The Irish Times on 4th December 1914. As the saying goes "the article speaks for itself"!! Put your hands together! (RCSI/News/02) - Researched and written by Meadhbh Murphy

On 22nd April Irish Doctors in the First World War , a book by Patrick Casey, Kevin Cullen and ex-RCSI Council member Joe Duignan, will be launched in the College. 'This unique book records the experiences of Irish doctors who joined the British armed forces and describes their journey from the relative calm, of a pre-war medical career to the horrors of the First World War.' - Irish Academic Press  WW1 material on display in the College Numerous staff and students from RCSI made the trip over to Europe to use their medical skills and training in saving those who were fighting on the front line in WW1. During and after the WW1 the College continuously compiled the names of these doctors through despatches, newspaper reports, contact with families etc and created the RCSI Roll of Honour 1914-1918. This honours list was produced to remember and celebrate the compassion, medical skill and unselfish nature of those staff and students, some of whom were n...

Another 3 decades of the RCSI Roll of Licentiates have been made available on our website . They are the years 1890 up to 1920, so feature those who received their licence before, during and after the First World War. One such person was John Cecil Lynmore Day from Limerick whose signature can be seen below, fourth name from the top. RCSI Roll of Licentiates 1910-1911 RCSI/LIC/02 Day received his licence from the College on the 10th February 1910. He then features in the RCSI Roll of Honour 1914-1918, an honours list that was produced by the College to remember and celebrate all those staff and students that played their part in the Great War. Day's name can be seen in the image below, fifth from the bottom. RCSI Roll of Honour 1914-1918  Browse these newly added years and who knows you may find the name of that long lost relative you were told tales about when younger! - Researched and written by Meadhbh Murphy

This day 96 years ago an armistice between the Allies and Germany took place at Compiégne, France which ended the hostilities and brutality of WW1. During the years of fighting millions of people were killed and wounded. In Dublin a small group of people took it upon themselves to open a hospital for wounded officers sent back from the war. This hospital was established on 1 December 1914 with the approval and guidance of the British Red Cross Society. The minute book of this forgotten hospital is housed in the RCSI Heritage Collections. Offer of premises for the hospital made by W. I. De Courcy Wheeler  Minute Book of the Hospital for Wounded Officers The hospital was given premises at 33 Upper Fitzwilliam Street by Sir William Ireland De Courcy Wheeler (1879-1943) who also volunteered his surgical services. The sub-committee was made up of notable wealthy and respected citizens of Dublin including Lady Talbot de Malahide, Lady Powerscourt and Francis T. Heuston F...

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....