10,000 and counting …

The Dun's Library e-cataloguing project hit an important milestone today with the cataloguing of the 10,000^th item! This means that we are about one third of the way though the library collections. The pace of cataloguing has noticeably increased in the last two months with the appointment of a full-time intern to assist with the project, and they had the honour of cataloguing the 10,000^th item

Acute Dilation of the Stomach by William Doolin is a pamphlet reprinted from The British Journal of Surgery. It is part of the Kirkpatrick Pamphlet Collection, which contains over 3,000 items on medical, historical, religious, local history and miscellaneous subjects. Thomas Percy Claude Kirkpatrick (1869-1954) was a medic, bibliophile and medical historian; he worked at Dr Steevens' Hospital and the Rotunda, and was also Registrar of this College for over 40 years. His pamphlet collection is a hugely valuable and varied resource, and covers an eclectic range of subjects.

William Doolin (1887-1962) was a contemporary and friend of Kirkpatrick. Doolin graduated from UCD in 1910, he worked at St. Vincent's and Temple Street hospitals, and was heavily involved with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. Like Kirkpatrick he was also interested in the history of medicine, particularly the French School of Medicine. He published Wayfarers in Medicine in 1947 which contains biographies of many eminent medics. For many years he was editor of the Irish Journal of Medical Science.

 

Book of the Month: William Buchan’s Domestic Medicine.

William Buchan (1729-1805) was a Scottish doctor who, in 1769, produced the first edition of what was to be one of the most popular and successful medical books ever published.

Buchan was critical of the medical profession for making a mystery of their art and his book, which was entitled Domestic Medicine; or a Treatise on the Prevention and Cure of Diseases, by Regimen and Simple Medicines, was aimed at the lay public and was intended to give practical advice on preserving good health and treating common ailments using easily obtained medical preparations.

Buchan's advocacy of self-help, simple treatments, plain diet, hygiene and temperance struck a chord with the public, particularly wives and mothers who would be largely responsible for the health of their household. It was said that the two books to be found in every Scottish croft were Buchan and the Bible. He was also a strong supporter of inoculation against smallpox, more than 20 years before the publication of Jenner's Introduction of Vaccination.

The book became an instant best seller and was to run to 21 editions in Britain and Ireland and remain in print for over 90 years. It was translated into all the main European languages and also enjoyed great popularity in the USA.

Dun's Library holds copies of seven different editions of this book, ranging from the 3rd (1774) to the 21st (1813), all except one printed in Dublin. The copy of the 6th edition of 1777 has the name "Anne Mahon, Castlegar" written on the title page. She was part of the Mahon family, who loved on the extensive Mahon Estate in Castlegar, Co. Galway, and would have been a typical user of Buchan in her care of her family and servants.

Buchan died in 1805 and was buried in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey.

Robert Mills, RCPI Librarian

The Scarlet Ribbon by Derry O’Dowd

Last night the Heritage Centre staff put on their glad rags and headed off to the launch of The Scarlet Ribbon by Derry O'Dowd.

This historical novel is written by father and daughter team Michael and Katy O'Dowd. Set in the 1730s and 1740s it follows the career of the young Irish surgeon James Quinn, as he battles prejudice and controversy in an attempt to become a man midwife. A profession which, at that time, was only open to females. Set in Paris, London, Dublin and Galway, the novel is described as 'a story of the thorns of love and the harsh reality of life in the eighteenth century, where nothing is simple and complications of all kinds surround James Quinn, man midwife.'

The question and answer session at the book launch provided an interesting insight into the co-authoring of the book. Michael O'Dowd, an obstetrician and Fellow of the College, had the idea and specialist knowledge to write the book, while Katy provided the 'author's voice'. Michael O'Dowd has previously written two academic histories of obstetrics and gynaecology, and made use of the Heritage Centre collections in his research. For each scene, the two would sit down and discuss exactly what was going to happen and how, before Katy would write the scene up. They did confess there had been a major disagreement over one of the scenes, which had been resolved by both agreeing to leave out the parts they wanted. You can find out more about the authors here - http://writing.ie/meet-the-authors/historical-fiction/496-derry-odowds-the-scarlet-ribbon.html

The Scarlet Ribbon is the first fiction work published by History Press Ireland and is, as they say, available now in all good bookshops!

Sir Francis Richard Cruise – Inventor of the Endoscope

Cruise's Endoscope

For those of you who have had to undergo an endoscopy at some point in your lives, you might like to know that one of the people credited with the invention of the instrument used to investigate your insides was an Irish doctor by the name of Sir Francis Richard Cruise. His own endoscope was widely used for many years after he first demonstrated it in 1865 and it certainly helped to advance the exploration of human anatomy.

Cruise was born in Dublin in Mountjoy Square in 1834, the son of a solicitor and his early education took place in Clongowes Wood College and in Belvedere. He followed this by going to Trinity where he studied medicine and gained his clinical experience at the Richmond Hospital where he was supervised by Sir Dominic Corrigan, among others. He also assisted Robert McDonnell in his research. McDonnell would later go to perform the first blood transfusion in Ireland in 1865. After his graduation in 1858 Cruise travelled in America. He returning to Ireland in 1859 and was granted his Licentiate from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, he was elected as a Fellow of the College in 1864. His MD was granted by Trinity College in 1861, his thesis was on the abnormal development of the female genital organs.



Sir Francis Richard Cruise



Cruise began his work as a junior physician in the Mater Hospital when it opened in 1861 and his association with that hospital would last through his life. He also lectured in the Carmichael School and was President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland from 1884 to 1886. Although he is best known for his work on endoscopy, Cruise published articles on a wide range of subjects including dislocations, bladder diseases and hypnotism, the latter being an area in which he developed an interest in the 1880s.

 

In addition to his medical writings, Cruise also published a biography of Thomas a Kempis and a translation of his work Imitatio Christi. He was considered to be an excellent shot with a rifle – a skill he had picked up while in America – and a proficient cellist. In 1859 he married Mary Frances and had six sons and three daughters. Cruise was knighted in 1896, although he declined the offer of a baronetcy ten years later. In 1901, King Edward VII appointed Cruise as his physician-in-ordinary in Ireland and in 1905 the Pope conferred on him a knighthood of St. Gregory.

Cruise died on February 26^th 1912 and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

References:
- Coakley, Davis, Irish Masters of Medicine. (1992), pp. 197-204
- Cruise, Sir Francis Richard, in the Kirkpatrick index, RCPI.

- Copies of Cruise's works, both medicial and non-medical, are available in Dun's Library, for details please consult the Library catalogue - http://www.rcpi.ie/HeritageCentre/Pages/LibraryCatalogue.aspx

 

Ruth Talbot, Library Intern